
Class 
Book 



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CDnCRlGHT DEPOSm 



OVERSEAS SKETCHES 



Being a Journal of My Experiences in 

Service with the American Red 

Cross in France 




By 
HENRY A. BUTLER 



Ji3TO 



'> 






Three hundred copies of this edition have 

been printed of which this 

is number 



2P8 



COPYRIGHT, I92I 

By HENRY A. BUTLER 
Youngstown, Ohio 



APR -8 1921 



0)Ci,A6il534 



Affectionately dedicated to the memory 
of my sister^ Blanche Butler Ford 



Foreword 

This relation of every-day 
experiences in France was first 
put in typewritten form merely 
to preserve a record that would 
naturally be interesting to my 
own immediate family and per- 
haps to closely intimate friends. 
Some have since been kind 
enough to say that the story 
might bear printing. Hence the 
following pages. 



CONTENTS 

Pace 

Chapter I^The Start ___ I5 

Chapter II — At Sea 23 

Chapter III — London 35 

Chapter IV — Paris 43 

Chapter V— At Work SS 

Chapter VI — Brest 63 

Chapter VII — The Chateau 73 

Chapter VIII — Northern Battle Fronts 81 

Chapter IX — Various 105 

Chapter X — Bourges 113 

Chapter XI— Chateau Thierry, Verdun, Rheims-- 123 

Chapter XII — Going Home i35 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Frontispiece— Hotel Regina, Paris 13 

Place de la Concorde 45 

Avenue Champs-Elysees 45 

The Eiffel Tower 49 

Cathedral of Notre Dame 49 

Distributing Christmas Gifts 57 

Brest — The Roadstead 65 

Breton Peasants 65 

Marriage in Brittany 69 

Costumes of Brittany 69 

On the Way 77 

The Chateau 77 

Cathedral and General View — Amiens 83 

Captured German Cannon — Near Amiens 83 

Trench — Vimy Ridge 85 

Monument to Canadian Soldiers at Vimy Ridge 85 

Battlefield Graves 85 

Ruins in Lens 87 

Camouflaged Road in Battle Area 87 

Smashed Tank — Ypres 91 

Ypres Battlefield 91 

German Prisoners — Ypres 91 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS— Co;///;n^^^ 

Page 

Cathedral and Cloth Hall — Ypres 95 

Farm House, Franco-Belgian Boundary Line 95 

Brass Shell Heaps Near St. Quentin 95 

German Soldier's Grave 99 

Ruined Dwelling — Ham 99 

German Prisoners — Noyon 99 

American Cemetery — Belleau Wood 103 

A Bit of the Hindenburg Line East of St. Quentin _ . 103 

The Flag 109 

Bridge over the Maine — The Cathedral — Angers 109 

Cathedral and Rose Garden of the Adjoining Park 

— Bourges 115 

Rue Mirabeau — Bourges 117 

House of the Three Flutes — Bourges 117 

Courtyard — House of Jaques Coeur — Bourges 117 

Canal and Wash-house — Bourges 117 

Cathedral — Orleans 119 

Equestrian Statue of Joan of Arc — Orleans 119 

Trenches Viewed from the Air 125 

Verdun's Famous Gate — "They Shall Not Pass" 125 

Rheims 131 

Cathedral Apse — Rheims 133 




Chapter I 
The Start 

OLLOWING arrangements made 
through Mahoning Chapter, Youngs- 
town, and Lake Division Head- 
quarters at Cleveland, and with the 
American Red Cross, Washington, D. C, I left 
home Sunday, October 20, at 6:20 p.m., via the 
New York Central. Several friends had called 
during the day to say good-bye and members of 
my family were at the railroad station to see 
me off. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, I918 

Arrived at Boston exactly on time at 11:55 
a.m., left at i :oo p.m. for Exeter, where I 
arrived at 2:44 and was soon installed in my 
son's room, there to spend a night and a day 
with him before leaving for Overseas. 

A short time after finding Joe's room, he 
came in with several of his friends and as the 
boys kept piling in all afternoon, I was soon 



Overseas Sketches 

convinced that he had made many friends — all 
of them nice boys. 

Later, I was escorted to dinner at Alumni 
Hall. The entire assemblage, about three 
hundred in number, applauded loudly as I 
walked in, this being the usual reception for 
parents of the students. Fortunately, I had a 
hunch that the proper thing was to pay no 
attention whatever to the noisy reception, 
which proved to be the right course, as I learned 
afterwards that the boys are particularly pleased 
whenever a parent attempts to acknowledge the 
welcome, and considerable good-natured kidding 
is in store for the luckless individual who tries 
to bow his thanks. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, I918 

I wrote letters and walked about the school 
campus and the town, while Joe went to his 
classes in the morning. In the afternoon, I had 
the pleasure, not unmixed with a certain amount 
of parental pride, of seeing my son defeat his 
opponent in the Fall tennis tournament- — two 
sets 6-4 and 8-6, both very hard fought. 

Left Exeter that evening for New York, 
where I arrived at 7:00 o'clock in the morning 
of October 23rd, and where I was entertained 
at breakfast by my father, Joseph G. Butler, Jr. 

16 



Overseas Sketches 

and my nephew, Arthur Butler McGraw, at 
the Waldorf. 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, I918 

I reported at the American Red Cross Head- 
quarters, after which I put in a busy day, com- 
pleting arrangements and getting passport vised 
by French and British Consuls. I also purchased 
my uniforms and general outfit. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, I918 

I met my wife, who arrived at 9:35 a.m. over 
the Pennsylvania. The next two days were 
occupied with the completion of final arrange- 
ments and complying with certain regulations 
required by the Red Cross and Army authorities. 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, I918 

I received instructions to report to Steamer 
No. 501 at Pier No. c,6. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, I918 1 I :00 A.M. 

I said good-bye to my father at the Hotel and 
proceeded to the pier, to which point my wife 
was permitted to accompany me as far as the 
gates, where we said a hurried farewell. 

Upon presentation of proper documents, I 
was permitted to pass the sentry and the gates 
were closed behind me. Walking toward the 
end of the pier, I observed a fine-looking large 

17 



Overseas Sketches 

steamer moored alongside, which I supposed 
would be the one to carry our Red Cross Unit 
overseas. On the other side ot the pier, was a 
much smaller steamer, and I was somewhat 
chagrined to learn that we were to embark on 
this quite small boat. She was a British steamer, 
the Leicestershire, of the Bibby Line, in 
ordinary peace times, a regular trader from 
Liverpool to Rangoon, India, but owing to the 
great losses from submarine warfare, it had 
been found necessary to place into service what- 
ever ships were available, so that this steamer, 
built for tropical cruising, happened to be the 
one that was to carry us overseas. She was 
thoroughly camouflaged in yellowish buff, black, 
blue and green colors, curiously painted — one 
might think it haci been done at random, 
without any organized idea of the effect, but I 
was told afterwards that the camouflaging of 
vessels had been reduced to an exact science 
and that these color mixtures up close did not 
mean much, but produced an effect at a distance 
that made it difficult for the enemy to tell the 
course or the shape of the ship, and altered the 
general appearance very much. Her name on 
the bow had been painted over and the way I 
learned her identity was from the life preservers 
and furniture in the cabins which, here and 
there, bore the name. 

The pier presented a lively scene, as Army 

18 



Overseas Sketches 

Officers were embarking about fifteen hundred 
American Troops. These were boys largely 
from Camp Pike, Arkansas, but there were also 
a few small units composed of boys from the 
East Side of New York and some colored troops. 
A great many of these soldiers had been quite 
recently discharged from influenza hospitals 
and were with difficulty carrying the heavy 
equipment allotted to each man. The American 
Red Cross ladies were serving coffee and sand- 
wiches on the pier, and some of these men told 
me that they had not eaten for several meals, 
that they had been forty-eight hours on the way 
from Camp Pike and were just about worn out, 
but not one grumbled or complained. Many of 
these boys were from the mountains of Tennessee 
and Kentucky and had never been away from 
home before in their lives and their awe of the 
surroundings was quite noticeable. As they 
embarked, the Army Nurses, who were already 
on deck, were singing our stirring war songs to 
which the boys would answer with hearty cheers. 
I could not help but feel the patriotic love of 
country that this scene brought out and it was 
rather hard to conceal my emotions. 

Our group of thirty-nine Red Cross Workers 
went on board at noon. The steamer left the 
dock without any demonstration whatever at 
3:45 in the afternoon and after a short run, 

19 



Overseas Sketches 

anchored opposite Sheepshead Bay and Coney 
Island. Our first night on board ship conse- 
quently was calm and within a few cable lengths 
of the shore — the Woolworth Building and 
some other features of the New York skyline 
were visible from our anchorage. 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2/, I918 

Going up on deck before breakfast I found 
that our always faithful Catholic brethren had 
just finished conducting services — mass having 
been sung on the forward deck, with a large 
attendance. The general services for Protest- 
ants were held at 1 1 :oo and the Y. M. C. A. had 
an afternoon meeting at about 3:00, both well 
attendeci. 

I must confess, however, that my chief 
interest, although it was Sunday, was centered 
on the scenes being enacted around us all day. 
I witnessed a truly wonderful, moving, living 
part of the war drama, of which I have tried to 
make a mental photograph for future use, and 
at the moment, did not attempt to write, 
because we had been warned that descriptions 
of things that we saw on this trip must not be 
written. 

We moved out to sea about 4:10 p.m., being 
the last ship of the third convoy to leave New 
York Harbor on that day. 

From notes made later, I shall attempt a 

20 



Overseas Sketches 

description of the panorama that was before us 
all day. It was said that this was the largest 
single day's embarkation and sailing of troops 
since the War began. As already mentioned, 
we were the last of all these ships to sail on that 
day. There were sixty in all, each one camou- 
flaged, no two alike and as previously remarked, 
it was hard to understand the scheme, so curiously 
worked out — some were striped in plain black 
and white, like a zebra, others more variously 
colored. These sixty steamships were all col- 
lected in the lower bay of New York Harbor and 
were a truly wonderful sight, each one packed 
to the limit with soldiers and evidently heavily 
laden with freight, as they were all pretty low 
in the water. 

At about 9:00 in the morning, the great fleet 
began to manoeuvre and one by one, the steam- 
ships weighed anchor and slipped away. This 
group of sixty steamers was divided into three 
convoys, one of which got away during the 
morning, the other very shortly after luncheon 
and the last, our own, late in the afternoon. 

While the convoys were being lined up, the 
huge Leviathan, a tree lance, requiring no 
convoy and no protection beyond her own speed, 
slipped by us at noon. She was unbelievably 
large, as compared with the other boats and 
was absolutely packed, her decks brown with 

21 



Overseas Sketches 

the boys in khaki. I learned afterwards that 
she had ten thousand soldiers on that trip. 

Finally, our ship, the very last one to leave, 
weighed anchor at 4:00 o'clock and by a quarter 
past, was on her way. 

Thus, we had the extreme good fortune to be 
able to watch this vast flotilla of three convoys, 
filing by our anchorage one by one, and as our 
turn came and we steamed slowly out past 
Sandy Hook, we were able to observe the pre- 
cautionary measures taken for our safety. 

There were two large observation balloons 
equipped with wireless apparatus, anchored to 
lighters. There were many air planes whizzing 
about, skimming near the water or up high in 
the air, all watching intently for enemy sub- 
marines. One plane crossed our bows less than 
fifty yards in front of us, quite close to the 
water. We could see the operator and observer 
very plainly; both waved to us. In addition to 
the protection in the air, there were numerous 
cruisers and at least fifty destroyers surrounding 
the convoys. 

The roar of the air plane engines, the restless 
moving of the waves, the whole scene and the 
thought that we were actually starting to have 
our small share in the tremendous conflict, all 
went together to make up the most thrilling 
moment of my life. 

22 




Chapter II 
At Sea 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, I918 

We were now out at sea and watching our own 
convoy, which was composed of fourteen trans- 
ports, one U. S. Cruiser and one U. S. Torpedo 
Boat Destroyer. It was not possible to find out 
the names of the other vessels of the fleet until 
some time later, but I am now inserting these 
names, which were secured shortly after we 
landed. The names are not from an official 
source, but were obtained from other Red Cross 
Personnel, from the other ships of the convoy, 
whom we met after landing. Among us, we 
checked up and finally were able to make out a 
complete list, which follows: 

I — Maunganui (New Zealand Trader) 

2 — City of London 

3 — Threcius 

4 — Mentor 

5 — Helenus 

6 — Tahiti (Also New Zealand Trader) 

23 



Overseas Sketches 

7 — Matagama 

8 — Lapland 

9-^Minnekhada 
10- — Orca 

1 1 — Leicestershire (Our Own Boat) 
12 — Canada 
13 — Cretia 
14 — Balmoral Castle 
15 — Cruiser 
16 — Destroyer 

These ships were lined vip three and four 
abreast about two hundred to three hundred 
yards separating them, somewhat closer at 
times. The United States Cruiser was in the 
lead with the Torpedo Boat Destroyer usually 
following along close in the rear, but often to 
one side and frequently going on ahead and 
circling the convoy, being able to do this on 
account of her greater speed. The Leicestershire 
was one of the rear line ships, with the Minne- 
khada and Matagama next to us on the star- 
board and port sides. The Orca was directly 
ahead of us. We were not sure of the identity 
and positions of the other ships of the convoy 
except the Lapland, with the appearance of 
which I was familiar and which I could identify 
as one of the front line ships. 

The convoy steamed on a zig-zag course a 
good deal of the time, presumably while travers- 

24 



Overseas Sketches 

ing parts of the ocean supposed to be U-boat 
danger zones. 

Some of these ships were British and some 
x'\merican. We never caught up to the other two 
convoys, which had preceded us by a few hours. 
The weather was quite warm and some seaweed 
was floating on the surface of the water, indicat- 
ing that we were in the Gulf stream, or at least 
not far out to sea. 

There seemed to be a disposition on the part 
of the authorities on board ship to keep every 
one well occupied. A pretty full schedule was 
laid out for the day. We had lifeboat drill once 
every day, sometimes twice. The signal for this 
was the bugle call by a soldier on the bridge of 
the ship. No matter what we were doing, we 
were instructed to hasten at once to the various 
boats to which we were assigned. Each boat 
had an Army Officer in command and each one 
assigned to this boat was given his place and 
number in the boat. Four of us were drilled in 
handling the ropes for letting our lifeboat down 
into the sea, in case we might be needed to help 
the ship's crew. These lifeboats were swung 
outboard, hanging from the davits, ready for 
instant use every minute of the voyage. The 
fifteen hundred troops were assigned to small 
life rafts, but I am inclined to the belief that if 
there had been an accident, there would have 

25 



Overseas Sketches 

been considerable confusion, as a great many 
hundred soldiers were standing during these 
drills alongside their small life rafts quite near 
us and it is likely that at least some of them 
would have stampeded to the lifeboats and it is 
doubtful if many would have been saved in case 
of successful submarine attack. 

As an additional safety precaution, we were 
obliged to carry or wear our lite preservers at all 
times. This order was promulgated less than a 
half hour after leaving Sandy Hook and for 
thirteen days, each one of us had to lug his 
preserver with him. It was close by our side 
while sleeping; it accompanied us to meals — it 
was always with us. Any one found without his 
life preserver was fined ten cents each time; the 
proceeds went to the British Red Cross. I was 
not caught in this offense, but discovered to my 
chagrin one morning, that I had gone up on deck 
without this ever-present companion, and hast- 
ened below at once to find it hanging alongside 
my berth in the stateroom. I voluntarily 
reported this to the proper officer, who was very 
much amused, but nevertheless took the ten 
cents. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, I918 

Almost uncomfortably warm, sun shining all 
day. I believe we were still in the Gulf stream. 
Another time-thief appeared in our midst today 

26 



Overseas Sketches 

in the shape of two hours French lesson — one 
in the morning and one in the afternoon. Father 
PhilHppe of the Knights of Columbus having 
kindly consented to conduct classes in this 
language. In addition to this, the American 
Red Cross Unit, consisting of thirty-nine workers 
met for an hour or more each evening. 

This was a beautiful starry night, but there 
was no moon. A number of us remained late on 
deck, watching the sea or looking at the masts 
sweeping across the sky, seeming to point at the 
different stars as the steamer rolled and pitched 
gently. 

Captain Stanley, Commander of the vessel, 
noticed our group and entertained us for a time 
with an instructive talk on the heavens, telling 
us how navigators were often dependent on 
reading the stars in order to take observations 
as to their position, especially at times when it 
had not been possible to get any observations 
from the sun at noon and also in many cases to 
check up their records for accuracy, even though 
they may have had an opportunity to get a 
reading with their nautical instruments from 
the sun at noon. 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3O, I918 

This was a very beautiful day — still warm 
and calm. We were apparently doing about 

27 



Overseas Sketches 

thirteen knots an hour, the whole convoy being 
held to that speed, although some of the vessels 
were capable of much faster time. 

The inventive mind of our Red Cross leader 
added another feature in order to fill in time 
more completely and now we were drilled — 
that is our Reci Cross Unit (39 men) each after- 
noon by a lieutenant of the U. S. Army. Our 
evolutions were not always carried out with 
success, as frequently, just as we would be 
executing, for example, "Squads Right," the 
vessel would give a lurch and sometimes we 
were nearly tumbled, at least, thrown into 
confusion. Once the lieutenant, with disgust, 
after an especially awkward mix-up, gave the 
command, "As you was — we will try that over 
again," which occasioned no little merriment 
and nearly got us into trouble, as some of our 
number apparently knew more about the con- 
struction of the English language than they did 
concerning military tactics. I believe we could 
have done fairly well on a level and roomy drill 
ground. 

We also had entertainments each afternoon 
on deck, usually three four-round boxing bouts. 
There was a tall, awkward-looking Jewish boy 
from a New York regiment who was a real 
bear-cat and cleaned them all up, and an Irish 

28 



Overseas Sketches 

boy, the possessor of a beautiful tenor voice, 
who sang frequently for us. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3I, I918 

This was another beautiful day. I learned 
that we had access to a part of the deck where 
one of the compasses was placed, and some of 
our group stated that we had been on an 
easterly course ever since leaving Sandy Hook, 
which probably accounts for the warm weather 
for the first few days, as we had not yet turned 
northerly. 

This was another beautiful starry night. The 
ladies, a unit consisting of twenty-five Army 
Nurses, gave a Halloween Party in the main 
dining room of the first cabin, which was 
attended by about three hundred people. Cap- 
tain Stanley, Commander of the vessel, took 
part in the festivities, being disguised in a 
rubber life preserver suit and impersonating the 
god, Neptune. He seemed to have as much 
fun out of it as anybody. 

As there were no lights on deck at night, it 
was absolutely ciark, except the gleam from the 
stars. The first few nights being clear, we were 
able to recognize one another, but it was rather 
a weird effect, walking about the deck and not 
being quite certain of your neighbor. This 
effect was heightened later on, when the weather 

29 



Overseas Sketches 

became bad, but by this time we had learned to 
recognize each other by our voices. There were 
lights in the cabins, but the port holes were all 
painted black and just inside the doors entering 
from the decks, there was a double curtain, 
arranged in such a manner as to make it impos- 
sible for any rays of light to escape from the 
interior when a door was opened. We were not 
permitted to throw anything overboard, as 
anything floating might be seen by a submarine 
and lead to our discovery. 

As an additional precaution against being 
detected by enemy submarines or raiders, we 
were not permitted to smoke on deck after dark 
and were obliged to keep our wrist watches 
covered, as the watch faces, especially the 
illuminated hands and figures are visible for 
about a half mile. I was cautioned once on 
account of my wrist watch and ordered by the 
ofiicer of the deck to turn the watch around on 
the inside of my wrist. This seems like a little 
matter to record, but indicates how thorough 
were the regulations looking to our safety. 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER I, I9I8 

This was the first bad day, foggy and rainy 
alternately all day long. The usual routine of 
ship life was observed — the French lesson from 
9:30 to io:jo in the morning; lifeboat drill at 

30 



Overseas Sketches 

ii:oo; another French lesson from 2:00 to 3:00 
in the afternoon and Red Cross drill at 4:00 
o'clock. 

We were still on an easterly course and were 
about one-half the distance across the ocean, as 
nearly as we could estimate, basing our figures 
on a daily run of about 2'^^ knots. 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, I918 

Cloudy with occasional sunshine; the ocean 
was now beginning to get rough so that we were 
rolling and pitching a great deal. Some time 
during the day our course was changed to a 
more northerly direction — a little east of north- 
east. There was very little seasickness, due I 
think to the fine weather of the first few days 
which enabled us to become accustomed gradu- 
ally to the motion of the ship. 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, I918 

About this time we were officially notified 
that diaries were not allowed and would be 
taken up and destroyed when we landed, so I 
desisted and am now returning after some time 
in an attempt to recall as much as possible of 
the happenings on board ship during the 
remainder of the voyage. 

It is now actually December 8th in Paris, but 
I am returning for the moment to the days on 

31 



Overseas Sketches 

the ocean. On the day that we were told to 
stop keeping diaries, it began to get much 
colder and I noticed that we had turned to a 
little more northerly direction. November 4th, 
5th, 6th and 7th were all cold and very dis- 
agreeable days. We had snow, hail, rain, and 
as we neared land, fog, or else very thick weather. 

At about noon on November 6th, having 
watched the compass for several days and 
having kept count from time to time of the 
engine revolutions and in this way computing 
the estimated mileage, I thought we were about 
one hundred miles off the northwest coast of 
Ireland. Shortly after noon, our course was 
suddenly changed upon the appearance of a 
British Destroyer, from which some sort of an 
order was signalled by means of colored flags. 
Immediately upon receiving this signal, the 
entire convoy turneci due west, and ran in this 
direction for nearly five hours at top speed — 
about 14 knots. At nightfall, we again turned 
to a northeasterly course and on the next morn- 
ing, November 7th, very early, we had land on 
both bows — Ireland on the starboard and Scot- 
land on the port, being headed in a southerly 
direction. The weather was very thick; the sea 
was very rough; the wind was the strongest I 
have ever faced. During the day we steamed in a 
southerlv direction on the Irish Sea, passing 



Overseas Sketches 

close by the Isle of Man, which, however, we 
could not see, as it was shrouded in thick 
weather. The manoeuvering of this fleet of 
fourteen transports was wonderful enough day 
and night crossing the Atlantic, but the handling 
of these vessels on this black, stormy night, all 
sailing so closely together and in restricted 
waters, not a ship showing a light of any kind, 
was truly a remarkable piece of seamanship. 

Our American escorts, the Battleship Cruiser 
and the Torpedo Boat Destroyer had left us the 
afternoon before and we were now being con- 
voyed by British Destroyers — one to each 
vessel of the convoy. I distinctly remember the 
one alongside our ship, rolling and pitching and 
disappearing in the angry waters, always coming 
up again — a fine example of cheery British grit. 
It was a comfort to have her alongside. She was 
painted a dead black and was numbered 58 
in large gray letters on her hull. 

At daybreak, Friday, November 8th, we 
anchored off the Mersey and at noon the 
Leicestershire docked at Liverpool. We were, 
of course, stunned at the news of the probable 
cessation of hostilities. The afternoon was 
consumed in debarkation of our soldiers, and 
we witnessed the unusual spectacle of American 
troops marching on British soil. Our Red Cross 
group was kept on board until 5:00 p.m., at 

33 



Overseas Sketches 

which time we set foot on land, after a voyage 
of thirteen days. During these thirteen days, 
we had no news from the Great War, with the 
exception of one httle item that leaked through 
from the flagship of our convoy, to the effect 
that the Italian offensive had been successful 
against Austria. It seems that our wireless 
apparatus was tuned for short distance only, 
with the exception of that on the flagship, and 
this wireless apparatus was used primarily for 
intercommunication in navigating the convoy. 
We were, as afterwarcis realized, too com- 
fortably housed in Liverpool at the Adelphi 
Hotel, where I had a room with all the comforts 
of a big New York hotel. Captain Kelly, of the 
American Red Cross, met us at the dock, looked 
after our comfort and made all arrangements for 
hotel accommodations and travel, so we were 
not subjected to travelers' usual troubles, such 
as looking after baggage, getting tickets, etc. 



34 



Chapter III 
London 

The next day, Saturday, November 9th, we 
were escorted to the railroad station and 
entrained in several special cars reserved for 
our Red Cross group, now considerably aug- 
mented by additions from other vessels of the 
fleet. The cold was very penetrating; the cars 
were not heated and we suffered considerably 
on the six-hour trip to London. I presume, 
however, that this was nothing compared to 
what our boys had to undergo in France. We 
arrived at London at 7:00 o'clock in the evening. 
It was nearly pitch dark — practically no lights 
whatever, only a few very dim ones at import- 
ant corners, which were screened with black, so 
as to be invisible from air planes. Our group 
was driven to the Hotel Cosmo on Southampton 
Row. I think this is the coldest place I ever 
slept in in all my life. The beds were damp; 
there was absolutely no heat whatever and 
although I went to bed with all my clothes on, 
removing only my shoes, I suffered all night 
long and was glad to get up early in the morning 
to stir around and get my blood in circulation. 
The only heat in the hotel was a small grate fire 
in the coffee room, which radiated feebly for 

35 



Overseas Sketches 

about two feet and might well have been dis- 
pensed with for all the comfort we got from it. 
The thermometer was not registering very low. 
It was the dampness that made the cold so 
penetrating. 

Food regulations reflected the war status. It 
was necessary to secure bread tickets and also 
permits authorizing the purchase of sugar, 
butter and jam, if these supposedly necessary 
trimmings were desired with meals. 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER lO, I918 

I obtained leave for the day from our Red 
Cross leader and proceeded by underground 
tube and train to Hounslow Heath to call on 
my adopted daughter's great uncle, where I 
was hospitably entertained with hot tea, sand- 
wiches, cakes and wonder of wonders — a cheery 
coal fire in the parlor grate, which was lighted 
in honor of my call, and which I was loath to 
leave. 

I returned to the heatless hotel and spent 
another cold night and was glad to get up again 
on Monday, November ii, which at 1 1 too 
o'clock in the morning, became 

ARMISTICE DAY 

The news of the signing of the Armistice was 
officially announced by an aerial bomb, which 

36 



Overseas Sketches 

was exploded at exactly ii:oo o'clock in the 
morning. In company with others of our 
American Red Cross Unit, I had just come out 
of the office of the A. P. M. (Assistant Provost 
Marshall) of the United States Army Head- 
quarters. 

As we had been busily engaged all forenoon, 
going through various formalities in connection 
with our registration, in order to satisfy the 
Army authorities as well as the British regula- 
tions, we had not had time to become acquainted 
with the latest news, nor did we fully realize 
that an armistice was to be signed that day. 
For a moment, we were startled, thinking 
possibly that this might be a German air attack, 
but this fear soon vanished when the people 
began to shout, "The War is over," "The Armis- 
tice is signed," etc. 

Within a very few minutes the streets were 
literally jammed with people and vehicles; 
stores were emptied of their patrons and clerks 
as well. The entire populace was bent on a 
holiday and well they might be after the strain 
of over four years. 

We worked our way as soon as we possibly 
could through the dense crowd to Piccadilly, 
Trafalgar Square and the Strand, where the 
excitement was intense. The predominant note 
was one of wild joy, but we also saw some sad 

37 



Overseas Sketches 

faces and weeping, mainly on the part of older 
people, who we imagined had lost loved ones 
during the War. The excitement increased; all 
thought of business was over for the day; 
soldiers were embraced; Americans were cheered; 
all this kept up until about 3:00 o'clock in the 
afternoon, when a heavy rain dampened the 
ardor somewhat, but when it cleared off toward 
evening, the night became a tremendous spec- 
tacle. Mingled in the crowd were soldiers of all 
the Allied Nations, who happened to be on 
leave or on military business in London. Traf- 
algar Square was a seething whirl of people and 
we had the remarkable experience of seeing the 
Britisher lose his composure. The tension was 
over at last — the Great War won by the Allied 
Nations! 

Late in the evening we tried to get into some 
of the more prominent cafes and restaurants, 
where the scenes absolutely beggar description. 
We were not able to secure places, so merely had 
a look in here and there and finally found our 
way to our own little hotel on Southampton 
Row, where by reason of being guests, we were 
finally able to secure a table. There was a great 
deal of enthusiasm even in this little hostelry — 
a great deal of singing, cheering and shouting 
going on. I remember particularly one heavy- 
set, red-visaged Englishman, who climbed up on 

38 



Overseas Sketches 

the table, about which were seated a number of 
his enthusiastic compatriots and waving a 
champagne glass, roared out with great empha- 
sis, "I say, England for the English!" but seeing 
our American uniforms, he came over and shook 
hands with us all around and patted us rather 
heavily on the shoulders. 

The next morning, I was cornered in the 
coffee room or perhaps, smoke room, as we would 
call it, by a very drunken Scotch Captain, who 
insisted upon telling me over and over again of 
the exploits of the Scottish 79th, or some regi- 
ment, I cannot remember the number exactly. 
This was rather interesting the first or second 
time, but the repetition proved monotonous. 
He had served in trenches where the mud at 
times was nearly up to his hips, and his joy and 
excitement in trying to realize that it was all 
over were such that he simply had to express it 
to somebody, who in this particular instance, 
happened to be myself. If I had consumed all 
of the Scotch high-balls that this officer tried to 
force upon me, I should not be here to tell the 
experience. 

There were to be seen in this part of London 
several areas where business blocks had been 
ruined as the result of air raids. In particular, 
there was one such across the street, directly 
opposite our hotel, and the front walls of the 

39 



Overseas Sketches 

hotel Itself were noticeably scarred by fragments 
from the explosion. 

In the afternoon of this day, November I2th, 
we left for Paris, via Southampton and Havre. 
At Southampton I succeeded in obtaining leave 
from the ship and securing a pass from the 
British Major in charge of the wharf, I found 
after some difficulty, the park overlooking the 
harbor, where on the monument commemorat- 
ing the Pilgrim Fathers, I saw the bronze tablet 
to the memory of my sister, Blanche Butler 
Ford. As it was dark by the time I found the 
monument, I was only able to see the tablet by 
climbing on the iron fence which surrounded the 
monument and lighting matches, assisted by a 
kind-hearted New Zealand soldier, who, on 
leave for convalescence from wounds, had been 
sitting nearby in the park. 

We had a very rough trip across the channel 
on a small steamer. Our Red Cross group 
occupied a part of the steerage and it was indeed 
a welcome relief to come on deck at daybreak. 
The contrast between this stuffy hole, all too 
suggestive of sea-sickness, and the refreshing 
salt air, was almost worth the night's confine- 
ment below. During this trip the same pre- 
cautions were observed as during war times; 
even though the Armistice had been signed, the 

40 



Overseas Sketches 

vessel was navigated without any lights what- 
ever and all other war-time regulations followed. 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER I3, I918 

We docked early in the morning at Havre, 
where we had a fine sunny day, but still quite 
cold. We practiced saluting French Officers 
as we had been told that this was customary — 
it at least afforded us a chance to become more 
familiar with this military greeting, which, as 
we found later, was strictly adhered to between 
Americans, but it was rather unusual for an 
exchange of salutes to be made between Ameri- 
cans and British and Americans and French or 
between Americans and soldiers of the other 
Allied Nations. 



41 



Chapter IV 
Paris 

In the evening we took train for Paris, where 
we arrived shortly before midnight, November 
13th. It was a very comfortable train, inckid- 
ing a dining car, on which we had, I think, the 
best meal since leaving New York. We learned 
afterwards, however, that the train service to 
the west and south of Paris was still pretty 
good, but that to the north and east, towards 
the battle fronts, the railroads were in very 
bad shape. 

We were met in Paris by a Red Cross repre- 
sentative who loaded us into army trucks and 
took us to a small hotel, just off the Champs 
Elysees, the Hotel Beaulieu — not too good. As 
in London, so here, the rooms were stone cold. 
The next morning we were introduced to our 
frugal continental breakfast — one roll and one 
pot of coffee with jam on the side if you cared 
to spend the money, extra. 

On the morning of November 14th we were 
marched a matter of about two miles to the Red 
Cross headquarters, which comprised an office 

43 



Overseas Sketches 

of over one thousand people, and occupied the 
building which in peace times was the Hotel 
Regina, on the Rue de Rivoli, opposite the 
Tuilleries. Here we spent the morning register- 
ing and listening to talks by various heads of 
departments of the American Red Cross, some 
of whom, with less vision than others, told us 
that as the Armistice had been signed, we might 
stick around a few days or a week but that 
before long, we should be sent home; others told 
us that the real work would just begin, caring 
for the refugees and looking after the wants of 
our own soldiers, who could not possibly be 
sent home all at once. 

NOVEMBER I5 AND 16, I918 

We were in and out of Red Cross headquarters 
for the most part, finding our various jobs with 
the Red Cross. I was asked by Captain Burritt, 
Chief of the Home Service Section of the Home 
and Hospital Bureau to assist him for a while 
and found later on, that he wanted me to 
succeed him as he was obliged to return home 
in a short time. 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER I7, I918 

I was oneof about five hundred of the American 
Red Cross who took part in a stupendous parade 
in honor of Alsace-Lorraine Day. There were 
one hundred and fifty thousand people in the 

44 




Place de la Concorde 




Avenue Chanips-Khsees 
45 



Overseas Sketches 

parade, which never reached the reviewing 
stand, being literally swallowed by the crowd 
of two million enthusiastic on-lookers. The 
parade made very little progress, moving a few 
feet at a time and then being stopped. The 
excitement was intense; the spectators crowded 
out into the streets with the paraders and the 
joy of the populace was frantic. I could not 
help but think of other exciting days, long ago 
in Paris, particularly of the mobs of the Revolu- 
tion, although, of course, this was an entirely 
different occasion and the spirit displayed of 
quite another nature. While this parade, or 
rather while this attempt at a parade was going 
on, there was a wonderful exhibition of ciaring 
on the part of about thirty air planes, which 
flew back and forth over the heads of the 
marchers, part of the time high in the heavens, 
at other times, altogether too low for safety. 
Fortunately, none of these machines met with 
any accicient or fell into the crowd, although the 
daring aviators were pulling off all kinds of 
thrilling stunts, such as nose dives and flip- 
flops in the air. These air men, as it turned out 
afterwards, were all court-martialled for the 
part they played in the afternoon's demonstra- 
tion, as they were out without authority. The 
great enthusiasm of this immense crowd was 
something that I can never forget. 

46 



Overseas Sketches 

Our company of Red Cross marchers, when 
it was discovered that the parade could not 
possibly be finished according to the line of 
march laid out, watched for our opportunity 
and at the first side street that offered a chance, 
we turned and worked our way out of the 
entanglement of people and were glad of the 
chance to disband for the day. 

In the evening I met my nephew, Captain 
John W. Ford, U. S. Air Service, and together 
we dined and later heard and saw the beautiful 
opera La Tosca, which proved to be but the 
preliminary to many other enjoyable evenings 
spent later on at the Opera Comique. 

NOVEMBER l8, I918 

Captain Ford rescued me from the none too 
comfortable quarters at the Hotel Beaulieu, 
inviting me to make my home with himself and 
three other officers in the Air Service, which 
was indeed a very agreeable change. These 
officers were keeping house in an apartment at 
24 Avenue Charles Floquet, quite near the 
Eiffel Tower, where we lived very comfortably, 
the group of men proving most congenial and 
Madeleine an excellent cook and motherly 
housekeeper. 

The first letters from home came on this date 
and were indeed welcome. 

47 



Overseas Sketches 

NOVEMBER I9 TO 23, I918 

I was quite busy with Captain Burritt of the 
Red Cross, trying to assimilate the details of 
the Home Service Section. This briefly was a 
welfare work with the soldiers of the American 
Expeditionary Forces and consisted chiefly in 
allaying their fears and anxieties about condi- 
tions at home, concerning which they might 
not have heard for various reasons. 

Captain Burritt had first intended to send 
me to St. Nazaire as a Home Service Worker, 
which would have been very agreeable indeed, 
as I really preferred getting out with the soldiers 
or work of that character, but later with Major 
Hutchins' approval, he decided that he wanted 
me to succeed him, which meant that I was 
hooked for an executive job, with headquarters 
in Paris — the very thing I was trying to avoid, 
but it proved to be most interesting, although 
I think the hardest work I ever did in my life. 
This Department had three hundred people — 
seventy-five in the Paris ofiice and about two 
hundred and twenty-five representatives in the 
field with the various army divisions, camps, 
hospitals and embarkation centers and ports. 

NOVEMBER 24 AND 25, I918 

Everyone seemed to be marking time, waiting 
for the end of the thirty-six days' armistice. 

48 





49 



Overseas Sketches 

There were many war relics to be seen in 
Paris. In the Garden of the Tuilleries there 
were German cannon, wrecked air planes, Zep- 
pelins, and on the Place de la Concorde, a large 
number of big German guns — really a great 
spectacle. Both sides of the Champs Elysees 
were lined with smaller captured German can- 
non, extending the entire length of this beautiful 
and historic Avenue. 

Nothing of particular note happened until 
Thursday, November 28th, Thanksgiving Day, 
which all Americans felt in duty-bound to 
celebrate in a manner fitting not only to the 
particular day, but with the cessation of hostili- 
ties in mind. We were obliged to work in the 
morning at the American Red Cross Head- 
quarters, but at noon enjoyed a turkey luncheon 
at the American Aero Club, from the veranda 
of which, after luncheon, we saw King George V 
and the Prince ot Wales drive by. 

MONDAY, DEC. 2 AND TUESDAY, DEC. 3, I918 

I was sent to Bourges, a city due south of 
Paris, about six hours' ride on the train, to check 
up American Red Cross records at the Central 
Records Office of the American Expeditionary 
Forces. 

I was much impressed with the work of the 
Army Clerks in keeping up the card index 

50 



Overseas Sketches 

system of the two million soldiers oi the A. E. F. 
— building after building filled with card index 
files, although cold statistics, yet they were to 
me a thrilling sight. The files devoted to those 
killed in action were most impressive. As I was 
stationed here for a month later on, I shall not 
devote much space to Bourges at this time, 
except to say it is a most interesting old town 
with a fine cathedral. 

On the train returning from Bourges, it so 
happened that my seat was in the same com- 
partment with the celebrated French artist, 
M. L'Hermitte, a very old gentleman, who, 
with his servants had moved all his paintings 
from the studio in Paris to Bourges when Paris 
was threatened with German invasion. He was 
now taking back to Paris four or five examples 
of his work, which had been placed for safe- 
keeping in a vault at Bourges. Rather than 
risk these paintings in the express car, they were 
being carried by hand, wrapped in rugs and 
pieces of carpet. 

The old gentleman was extremely agreeable 
and paid close attention to my poor attempts at 
French, but I finally made him understand that 
my father was very much interested in Art and 
that just a year previous he had lost his entire 
collection of paintings by fire and that he was 
now building an Art Museum and getting another 

51 



Overseas Sketches 

collection together, all of which interested M. 
L'Hermitte sufficiently to elicit from him a 
cordial invitation to visit his studio in Paris as 
soon as he had it again in order. 

I have mentioned this chance meeting with 
the artist, M. L'Hermitte as an example of the 
people who left Paris when the War was at its 
height. 

The Americans who first arrived in Paris 
found the city half emptied; houses were not 
occupied, apartments could be had for very low 
prices. Captain Burritt secured a room in one 
of the leading hotels at ten francs per day in 
June; when I arrived November 13th, this same 
room commanded three or four times as much, 
because nearly every one had returned and the 
demand for housing and rooms had become 
abnormal. 

All of this may not seem much like War, but 
we had a very good picture of the Front every 
day in our office correspondence and records, 
upon which I cannot take time to dwell, other 
than to say we had stories of hardships and war 
experiences at first-hand, going through us to 
be communicated to the folks back home. 

DECEMBER 6, I918 

Captain Burritt invited me to call with him 
at the home of M. and Mme. Fasty (pronounced 

52 



Overseas Sketches 

"Fatey") where we were delightfully enter- 
tained in this charming French home at Neuilly, 
a suburb of Paris, near the Bois de Boulogne. 
In this circle I was content to sit quietly listening 
to the beautiful French of M. and Mme. and the 
more or less successful efforts of Captain Burritt, 
who really spoke very well. In this connection, 
comes the opportunity of offering an alibi for 
the failure of most of us to make much headway 
with the French language. 

When it is considered that we were in an 
office every day with nearly a thousand Ameri- 
cans, transacting business much the same as we 
would be doing at home, using English almost 
entirely and when it is considered also that for 
the most part we lived with Americans, it will 
be seen that we did not have sufficient contact 
with the French people to learn their language 
beyond the every-day requirements. 

Through Captain Burritt's courtesy, I was 
enabled to spend the next evening in his com- 
pany at the Cercle Volney, a French Club, 
where after a formal dinner, we met an inter- 
esting group of intellectual people and listened 
to a good musical program. 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, I918 

Captain Ford and I attended services at the 
American Church in the morning. In the 

53 



Overseas Sketches 

evening, I had Captain Burritt and Captain 
Ford as my guests to dinner, after which we 
went to the Opera Comique and heard La Tosca 
again. 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, I918 

As Captain Burritt was to sail Wednesday, 
December nth, I was definitely assigned to his 
position as Chief of the Home Service Section 
in France and received my commission in the 
American Red Cross. 



54 



Chapter V 
At Work 

DECEMBER lO, I918 TO FEBRUARY 22, I9I9 

December loth I took hoki of the work as 
Chief of the Home Service Section of the Home 
and Hospital Bureau of the American Red 
Cross, naturally finding a great deal to learn 
and a tremendous lot of work to be done every 
day. It seemed strange to be in Paris and to be 
obliged to go through a regular routine of work 
each day, with no time for sight-seeing, as on 
previous visits to the French capital, I had 
never done anything but follow my own wishes. 

I shall not dwell upon the details of this 
branch of the work, for the reason that doing 
this would mean a volume in itself, moreover, 
that is a matter of official record in the annals 
of the American Red Cross. It is perhaps suffi- 
cient to say that soldiers brought their questions, 
their wants and their troubles to our representa- 
tives in the field, who either gave aid and 
counsel on the spot or else sent these cases into 
the Paris office for action there, or if needed, for 

55 



Overseas Sketches 

communication or query to the soldiers' families 
in the United States. 

The general nature of the work was officially 
summarized by the American Red Cross as 
follows : 

"Rendering general welfare service to 
soldiers, with particular emphasis on secur- 
ing, in response to their requests, sympa- 
thetic, prompt and accurate information as 
to their problems here and at home, in this 
way quieting their fears, relieving their 
anxieties, not only helping the man himself 
but thereby aiding the cause by making him 
more fit to do his duty as a soldier." 

Captain Paul F. Peck, Professor of History, 
Grinnell College, Iowa, was Assistant Chief of 
the Section; Captain John P. Rusk, of La 
Grande, Oregon, and Lieutenant C. T. M. Law, 
of Boston, acted in the capacity of special 
agents; Miss Lenore M. Little, of Hartford, 
Conn., was in charge of the work of the seventy- 
five women personnel in the Paris Office; Miss 
Anna S. Murphy, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was 
my Secretary. I ought to mention each one of 
these three hundred efficient, hard-working, 
loyal men and women in the department. The 
friendships made among them, I value highly. 

On Christmas Eve I tried to get in the Made- 
leine for Christmas Mass, but the crowd was so 

56 




Major Je.s^L I'. Matteson, A. R. C, Distributing Christmas 
Gifts in the Devastated Region 



57 



Overseas Sketches 

large that it was impossible even to get inside 
the outer gates. 

While waiting outside the Madeleine Christ- 
mas Eve, hoping to get in for Midnight Mass, I 
met my good friend. Major Matteson, who 
invited me to go out with him before daybreak 
Christmas morning to distribute gifts to children 
in the battle area. As I was not able to secure 
leave and obtain travel permit on such short 
notice, I could not accept this invitation, but the 
accompanying illustration showing the Major 
discharging this pleasant duty will be of interest. 
"Matty," as we called him upon closer acquain- 
tance, gave me the photograph and I am also 
indebted to him and his civilian friend, Mr. 
E. T. Gundlach, for several other photographs 
which we took with their cameras while on the 
trip to the battle fronts. 

Christmas Day somehow did not seem a bit 
like Christmas. In the afternoon I took a walk 
and wrote letters; in the evening I read the 
Bible, the first and second chapters of St. Luke, 
the story of the birth of Jesus. I read this 
aloud to two young officers who lived with us, 
and they listened attentively. 

New Year's Eve was celebrated in a lively 
manner downtown, but I stayed at home, read- 
ing and writing letters, much to the disgust of 
the other members of our family, who were 

58 



Overseas Sketches 

younger men — officers in the Air Service and 
could not understand why I preferred to spend 
the evening at home. 

After January ist letters from home began to 
come in greater frequency and were most wel- 
come. 

While I had not been able to get out to the 
Front, nevertheless, I saw a great deal of the 
War on paper; through the letters and reports 
that came in to our office from our field repre- 
sentatives and also in talks with them when 
they came in to headquarters. 

My evenings' dissipation was confined to 
grand opera, which Captain Ford and I attended 
as often as we could afford the time and money. 

On January nth I did not feel very well and 
the next morning was sent to No. 3 American 
Red Cross Military Hospital in the Rue de 
Chevreuse, a tiny street in the Latin Quarter. 
I had bronchial influenza — temperature ranging 
from loi to 103 and was quite miserable for 
about a week; then rapidly changed for the 
better and on the morning of January 24th, 
after an appeal to the doctor. Captain Rossem, 
he permitted me to go home at noon of that day. 

On that same evening, my nephew. Captain 
Ford, came home at dinner-time, very ill, 
hardly able to drag himself along, and in the 
morning he was sent to the same hospital, from 

59 



Overseas Sketches 

which I had just returned — his case, diagnosed 
as influenza, developed into pneumonia on 
January 30th. He was seriously, dangerously 
ill; his crisis, February loth and nth, was just 
barely passed. He eventually recovered fully 
after seventy-three days in the hospital. 

During all this time, the Peace Conference 
had been going on; President Wilson had been 
to Paris; had gone back home; returned; the 
Armistice had been extended twice and things 
were getting more muddled up every day. The 
cordial feeling of welcome first extended to 
President Wilson by the French was now swing- 
ing in the other direction and we frequently 
heard our good friends among the French 
criticizing him severely for his dictatorial ways. 
Being in uniform, I discussed the matter very 
little, my opinion, however, being at the time 
that it was a mistake to prolong the delibera- 
tions; that the Treaty of Peace should have 
been signed with as little delay as possible and 
President Wilson's ideal of a League of Nations 
might well be considered after the Peace Treaty 
itself was signed. The French people at first 
believed that we were all in accord with Presi- 
dent Wilson's ideas, but gradually began to 
understand that some of us were not of the same 
political faith and that President Wilson really 

60 



Overseas Sketches 

did not represent the opinion and wishes of the 
American people as a whole. 

Shortly after my nephew's illness developed, 
I was offered a place on the American Red Cross 
Commission to Germany, with headquarters at 
Berlin. This would have been something of an 
experience to be among the first Americans to 
reach Berlin after the Armistice, but for reasons 
which could not be denied, I was reluctantly 
obliged to decline the appointment. The work 
which the American Red Cross was undertaking 
through this Commission to Germany consisted 
of caring for a large number of Russian prisoners, 
still held by Germany, because the Red Govern- 
ment refused to allow them to return to Russia 
and they were such a burden to the German 
people that it was thought necessary for the 
American Red Cross to assist in caring for them. 

The weather all through December, January 
and February was very disagreeable and it was 
a penetrating cold with dampness and rain 
every day with the exception of about two weeks, 
the last week in January and the first week in 
February, when it was quite cold — temperature 
about 25° Fahrenheit with some snow. I 
noticed people carrying skates, probably on the 
way to the ponds in the Bois de Boulogne. It is 
said that they seldom have skating in Paris. 

Toward the latter part of February there was 

61 



Overseas Sketches 

a great deal of excitement over the attempt to 
assassinate Premier Clemenceau, who, consider- 
ing his advanced age, made a remarkable 
recovery from a gun shot wound. 



62 



Chapter VI 
Brest 

On February 27th I went to Brest to inspect 
the work of the Home Service Section in that 
important embarkation port and also at Camp 
Pontenezen. My nephew was very good about 
letting me go, as he had been counting on my 
daily visits to the hospital. I was obliged to 
sit up all night on the train and did not sleep 
much, because the French people in the same 
compartment would not allow me to open the 
windows for a little fresh air. The train was 
overcrowded and the trip was very uncomfort- 
able, lasting sixteen hours. As good luck would 
have it, during the two days at Brest, we had 
bright sunshiny weather, very unusual and cold 
enough to make it pleasant. Just before the 
train pulled into the railroad station at Brest, 
there was a fine view of the harbor. Outside 
the breakwater were anchored the Leviathan; 
the New Amsterdam of the Holland-American 
Line; the Mauretania of the Cunard Line, 
sistership of the illfated Lusitania, victim of 
Germany's greatest atrocity; a large White 
Star Liner, the name of which I did not secure 

63 



Overseas Sketches 

and a great many other smaller steamers, all 
waiting to transport troops home — really an 
inspiring sight, when one thinks of the many 
soldiers who are about to embark for home after 
their experiences in the Great War and when 
one also thinks of the welcome awaiting them 
on the shores of our beloved land. 

I proceeded at once to the American Red 
Cross Office, Rue de Chateau, and there met 
Captain Graeme Turnbull of the American Red 
Cross, a shipmate on the Leicestershire, who 
was the Assistant Director of all Red Cross 
activities in the Brest District. I was hos- 
pitably entertained at his house; he and three 
other Red Cross men had leased a furnished 
villa and were as comfortable as one could be in 
Brest. There was a fine garden here; pear trees 
trained against the walls and some vegetables 
even growing at this time of the year. I spent 
a good part of the afternoon in discussion of 
Red Cross activities with special reference to 
Home Service, which was the main business of 
my trip. 

I took a walk about this old walled town of 
many ancient buildings. The Chateau, a part 
of the fortification, with moat and drawbridge, 
is situated facing the harbor and harbor entrance. 
Doubtless in its time strong enough, it is now a 
very interesting relic of the former greatness of 

(34 




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Breton Peasants 
G5 



Overseas Sketches 

the place as a fortified stronghold. Some of the 
old cannon are still emplaced; the walk inside 
the town wall commands a striking view of the 
harbor. On the water front near the piers was 
a great lot of steel products — sheet steel, some 
of it badly rusted, barb wire, and quite a ton- 
nage of steel billets, and in the warehouses 
other supplies. 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, I9I9 

I Spent the evening and night pleasantly and 
comfortably at Captain Turnbull's and in the 
morning started by motor for Camp Pontenezen, 
an embarkation camp, six miles from Brest, on 
a hill back of the city. 

If Brest was well filled with American soldiers, 
then Pontenezen was jammed. It was a tre- 
mendous camp, capable of holding 120,000 men, 
laid out like a city, but at this time it did not 
present as finished an appearance as our camps 
in America. It was begun last Autumn and has 
been the subject of much complaint, as at first 
there was the greatest discomfort, for, before it 
was even taking definite shape, the army 
authorities began to ship men home, via Brest, 
and the Engineers, who had started to lay out 
the camp and put up the barracks, were swamped 
with soldiers pouring in before it was at all 
ready for their reception. The site was origi- 

G6 



Overseas Sketches 

nally one of Napoleon's embarkation camps 
and has still the original buildings, of concrete 
or stucco. It is said that here Napoleon assem- 
bled the troops he intended to use in his invasion 
of Great Britain. Now, in contrast to these old 
buildings, we saw hastily constructed, but com- 
fortable wooden barracks, hospitals. Red Cross 
rest rooms and canteens and other war aid 
activities; army kitchens, bake shops, small mill 
for sawing cord wood, quarry and crusher for 
much needed road material, the necessary 
delousing plant, and a great area of brown 
tents, where the incoming men were first 
installed, before going through the process of 
delousing and later medical inspection. 

This going home of the men was a great big 
process, admirably arranged and well carried 
out. Roads good now — were very bad at first. 
On Napoleon's old parade ground were parked 
a great number of trucks. There passed into 
this camp loaded trucks at the rate of one 
every forty-eight seconds. 

There were about twenty thousand men 
permanently stationed at Brest and Pontenezen. 
I believe I saw at least one hundred thousand 
U. S. soldiers or evidence of their actual presence. 

Just out of Brest I saw several long trains of 
box cars, filled with American doughboys, on 
their way home. These trains were drawn by 

67 



Overseas Sketches 

American locomotives. The men were detrained 
at Brest, fed there, if they arrived late at night, 
then marched up to Camp Pontenezen, where 
this part of the process of going home took a 
week to ten days or perhaps a little longer, 
varying with conditions that governed. Indi- 
vidual cases there were of course, that would 
for some special reason be kept there for a much 
longer time. For instance, those unfortunates, 
not many I am glad to say, who had contracted 
certain diseases, could not go home until cured, 
and, too, there were cases of various other 
illnesses that detained, and a few insane patients. 
Several units of the 27th Division, New York 
and Brooklyn boys, were marching down the 
hill to Brest, there to be taken on lighters to the 
ships at anchor out in the roads. Only ships of 
small tonnage can dock in the shallow depth of 
Brest harbor. I believe about five thousand 
tons is the limit. 

The Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., and K. of C. 

activities were all in good hands here. 

Returning to Brest, I saw German prisoners, 
apparently well fed and happy, working on the 
docks and streets, guarded by American soldiers, 
armed with loaded guns, bayonets fixed. 

The Breton Peasant was everywhere, in his 
costume, handed down for generations — the 
men's hats being the real feature — a broad- 

68 




OQ 



U 




69 



Overseas Sketches 

brimmed felt hat, rim slightly turned up and a 
black ribbon about a foot long hanging down 
the back. The lace caps of the women are very 
pretty, but not as large nor as striking as the 
Dutch, or the Alsation headgear. 

The Bretons really looked like Celts, like 
Irish or Welsh. I was told that they could 
converse with Welsh people and also that they 
readily took up the commoner English expres- 
sions with good accent. They are very religious. 
I saw a pathetic funeral procession — a boy in 
black, carrying a crucifix at the head of the 
horses, drawing the hearse — a mere wagon with 
a top, the whole looking something like a hearse, 
but so rickety — ^just four posts and a canopy, 
like bed posts; the coffin was covered with 
heavy black cloth; walking close behind the 
hearse, were presumably the widow and two 
children, boy and girl — all poorly dressed. We 
stopped, faced the street and stood at attention, 
saluting according to custom until this pitiful 
cortege passed by. The widow and mother 
looked our way for an instant, seemingly grate- 
ful for our recognition of their grief. Later we 
saw the funeral procession again and there had 
been two accessions to the mourners — a one- 
legged man, hobbling along on crutches, barely 
able to keep up with the others, and by his side, 
a man who had but one arm. 

70 



Overseas Sketches 

Earlier in the morning I saw a more cheerful 
sight, two young Breton women on their way 
to church, in their best attire, although sombre, 
with pretty white lace head dress, and beneath 
it their abundant hair, dark brown, nearly 
black, flowing about their shoulders. They were 
pretty girls with good sweet faces. 

Thus, in two days at Brest, there fronted my 
vision these varied things — Ancient Brittany, 
Modern America and the Closing War. 

At S''3'^ I Isft for Paris, having secured an 
uncomfortable couchette for the night, at the 
modest, or perhaps immodest price of twenty- 
seven francs — the less said about my night's 
rest, the better. Important stations on the 
route to and from Brest to Paris: Chartres, 
Le Mans, Rennes, and St. Bruec, where one 
may embark to the Channel Islands of Jersey 
and Guernsey. 

SATURDAY, MARCH I, I9I9 

Back in Paris again — early in the morning. 
I was obliged to stand in line for nearly an hour 
in the railroad station, checking in with the 
army authorities, who exercise strict super- 
vision over the arrivals and departures of all 
soldiers and officers. 

I was much pleased to find my nephew very 
much better. He was permitted to sit up for 
the first time and was now out of danger. 

71 



Chapter VII 
The Chateau 

On Friday, March 7th, in company with 
Major Jesse F. Matteson, of the American Red 
Cross and three civihan friends of his from 
Chicago, I started on what would have been a 
wonderfully interesting trip if all had gone as 
planned. 

We had a fine looking seven-passenger touring 
car turned over to us for the purpose of making 
a tour of inspection of the American Red Cross 
warehouses in Northern France and Belgium. 

After proceeding about fifty to sixty kilo- 
meters northeast of Paris, the car stopped on 
account of engine trouble, near the village of 
Noailles. Examination of the engine disclosed 
a broken piston rod, which could not be repaired 
until the car was towed back to Paris, so our 
trip had to be abandoned for the time being. 

We took our belongings out of the car and 
trudged on to Noailles, where, after learning 
that the morning train for Paris had just left, 
we went into executive session; all sorts of 

73 



Overseas Sketches 

plans were suggested by our civilian friends, 
such as taking train to Amiens, thence to 
Brussels, etc., but Matty and I both counselled, 
wisely, I think, to put back to Paris by the 
evening train. Our opinion finally prevailed, 
so after depositing musette bags and blankets 
with the lady baggage master at the railroad 
station, we proceeded to look the village over. 

Matty went to the Post Office to telephone 
to Paris for help for our chauffeur in order to 
get his car towed back; the three civilians sought 
liquid refreshment at the inn, while I was 
purchasing picture postal cards of local views. 
I asked the woman in charge of the little shop 
a few questions about Noailles and surrounding 
country, and upon seeing a picture of a chateau, 
got her to tell me where it was and how far. I 
also asked others of the townspeople similar 
questions and was astonished to learn how little 
the natives seemed to know or care about this 
fine example of architecture and landscaping, 
which I shall attempt to describe later; they did 
not seem to realize that only six kilometers 
distant was this chateau of historic memory. 
Perhaps they are used to having it near them, 
and in their every-day life know of it rather 
sub-consciously, just as there are people in 
Buffalo who know of a Niagara close by, but 
who also have other things on their minds. 

74 



Overseas Sketches 

Well, to discontinue trying to analyze the ways 
of humanity, I then herded our party together 
and, after luncheon, made them take the walk 
of six kilometers to Chateau Mouchy. 

It was worth every bit of the effort and helped 
us forget our bad luck and our spoiled trip. 
After a pleasant walk, gaining the brow of the 
last hill, we saw the distant spire of a church 
and the usual collection of small village build- 
ings clustered about it. The crowd began to 
guy me about the Chateau. 

"Where is it?" "Is that your Chateau?" etc. 
"All right now," I said, "be game, come on, I'm 
sure it's on the other side of that church, let's 
see what the village is like anyway." 

It proved to be as I had hoped, for soon we 
could see two slender towers just beyond the 
church. We entered the village, none too 
prosperous looking and correspondingly dirty, 
and just around the corner of the market place 
and to the rear of the old church, we found the 
gate to the Chateau grounds, which are on a 
level a few feet lower than that of the village; 
this explained why. the Chateau was not visible 
from the road as we approached. 

The poor village just outside was in contrast 
indeed to the beautiful park, to this gem of a 
Chateau, set in a velvet green lawn of about ten 

75 



Overseas Sketches 

acres, with here and there a tremendous, really 
magnificent tree of ancient days. I wondered 
if these trees were infants when hands now long 
since crumbled to dust were building this home 
for their Feudal Lords. We had entered the 
grounds through the back door, so to speak, and 
what we saw after circling the building and 
gaining the portico in front, compensated, to an 
extent, for our misfortunes of the morning, at 
least saved the day from utter loss. The view 
was refreshing and restful. The Chateau, built 
on the edge of a hill, commands a stretch of 
country that is a delight to the eye. Just before 
us, the Chateau's estates, woods, a lake, fields 
already verdant with grass and winter grains, 
gave promise of still greater beauty when the 
forests are in new leaf. 

Beyond the Chateau lands roll hills of graceful, 
wooded and tilled beauty, miles away to the 
enemy front of 19 14- 15. 

None of the Duke de Mouchy's family was in 
residence, but the caretaker who now joined our 
group, said that although enemy aviators had 
made a few attempts to bomb the building, that 
there had been but one hit, and that the damage 
was only slight. In the early Autumn of 1914, 
German Outposts had been quite near and 
Uhlans had galloped through the grounds but 
the Chateau had never been in real danger of 

76 




On The Wav 



i 




'?' ; ^^^J ^K 






ilB 



The Chateau 

77 



Overseas Sketches 

seizure. We noticed stretched out on the floors 
in several rooms, a number of oil paintings. 
According to the caretaker, these paintings 
belonged to another Chateau, vandalized by 
the enemy — a chateau owned by a relative of 
this Duke de Mouchy, and these paintings had 
been cut out of their frames and carried ofl^ into 
Germany, and were now being returned, as 
many as could be located — some of them were 
soiled, torn and scratched, one or two nearly 
ruined. The original home of these paintings, 
another Chateau, was destroyed — the work of 
the Huns. 

But the real interest in this chance visit to 
Chateau de Mouchy was that during the later 
months of the war it was one of Marshal Foch's 
headquarters. Here much of the strategy of 
the greatest war in the World's history was 
planned and its execution directed. 

I now understood why the artistic sense of 
the French people had permitted the grounds 
of the Chateau to be marred by unsightly 
telephone poles, heavy with many wires. I tried 
to picture the great military strategist in this 
room surrounded by his stafi-'. Doubtless such 
a scene will one day be on canvas, and in genera- 
tions to come, school boys will be told of it. 

I had another thought too, anci it was of our 

78 



Overseas Sketches 

own boys, who came over here in the nick of 
time, without whom — well, who will dare to 
say what might have happened? 

The walk back to Noailles was not so full of 
pep, for we were all somewhat weary. An 
hour's wait at the inn was enlivened by one of 
our party, a multi-millionaire, who invited the 
entire community in to have a drink with him. 
All responded readily enough, including the 
Mayor, the Postmaster, and the Notary. There 
were cries of "Vive I'Amerique," "Vive la 
France," "A la Victoire" and various enlivening 
toasts. Our millionaire compatriot grew just a 
bit too enthusiastic, I thought, and when we 
left for the station, insisted on kissing the 
ladies good-bye — the innkeeper's daughters and 
even the innkeeper's wife, but in the end, every- 
body laughed good-naturedly over it, and it 
seemed harmless enough, although one of the 
girls was for a time, very angry. 

At 5:30 we took the narrow gauge train from 
Noailles to Beaumont, a two-hour ride over 
lovely rolling country with here and there 
trenches and barb wire entanglements, which 
we were told, were part of the plans to defend 
Paris in the last stand, but had never been used 
in actual warfare. 

Reaching Beaumont at 7:30, we changed to 
the main line, and after an hour's wait, finally 

79 



Overseas Sketches 

reached Paris at eleven, tired out, but really 
having had a fine day of it, although not as per 
schedule, which was to have been to Amiens, 
and on up toward the Belgian frontier. 



80 



Chapter VIII 
Northern Battle Fronts 

On Tuesday, March nth, we made a fresh 
start on our tour of inspection, this time, the 
Transportation Department of the American 
Red Cross turned over a Ford touring car, 
which took us safely over the route, as this 
remarkable species of automobile is usually able 
to do. 

For a good part of the distance traveled, we 
were in the Meuse and Somme districts, which 
had been the theatre of heavy and almost con- 
tinuous fighting. 

Leaving Paris at 8:00 o'clock in the morning, 
we again passed through Noailles, where we had 
suffered the breakdown a few days previously, 
Beauvais, Grandvilliers,Warlius, Marseille (lack- 
ing but one letter, the final "s", of being spelled 
exactly the same as the great French seaport on 
the Mediteranean), Poix, and Amiens, which 
we reached at noon. 

Inside of an hour after leaving Paris we began 
to see the effects of the War — here and there 
a shell hole, an occasional house partly ruined 

81 



Overseas Sketches 

by shell fire or stray shells, and now and then a 
roadside soldier's grave. But the villages just 
named had practically escaped the ravages of 
War and were typical French villages — narrow 
streets, low-roofed, stone, brick or plaster houses 
— a frame house or a frame barn building, such 
as we have in our rural districts, being a most 
unusual sight, in fact, seldom found. 

At Amiens we began to see the first real 
effects of the German artillery fire. About 
every third or fourth house had been struck and 
the railroad station had been hit a great many 
times; here temporary repairs had been made, 
but the roof was no longer a protection against 
the elements, being riddled and the glass sky- 
lights all broken. 

We spent an hour at the American Red Cross 
warehouse and were so busily occupied there 
that I was not able to see much of the town. 
I had to content myself with a glimpse of the 
cathedral as we drove by. The beautiful 
cathedral was practically intact, having been 
struck only once. A shell dropped through the 
roof to the crypt; fortunately did not explode. 
Shells which failed to explode have been nick- 
named "duds" — a term which we heard used 
very often thereafter. 

After finishing up our business in the Ameri- 
can Red Cross warehouse at Amiens, we motored 

82 




Cathedral and General View — Amiens 





1 




^ 


k"-.--:»vibi3*.w 


^4t.*.n 



Captured German Cannon — Near Aniici 
83 



Overseas Sketches 

in a northerly direction through the towns of 
Villersbocages, Doullens and Beaumetz, all of 
them pretty well shot up, to Arras. 

Arras was the first real ruins that we had yet 
seen. Practically every building in the town 
had been struck, some buildings completely 
ruined, others partially so. There were very 
few people about. It was a desolate scene as we 
thought, but soon to be greatly overshadowed 
by the awful devastation which we were to see 
in a few hours. 

Between Amiens and Arras the road was 
lined on both sides with a great array of cap- 
tured German guns — huge fellows, each one 
camouflaged with green and yellow paint — an 
amazing number of them. 

About 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon we 
arrived at Vimy Ridge — the scene of days and 
days of awful struggle and the ultimate triumph, 
brought about by the remarkable bravery of the 
Canadian troops, to whose memory already 
there had been erected a temporary wooden 
shaft, reciting their brave deeds. 

This battlefield was a series of trenches, 
extending along a ridge several miles in length, 
commanding a wonderful view of the mutilated 
valley spread out before us; beyond and between 
the trenches and dugouts, were the intricate 

84 




Trench — Vimy Ridge 




Monument to Canadian Soldiers at Vimy Ridge 




Battlefield Graves 

85 



Overseas Sketches 

barb wire entanglements, stretching across No- 
Man's Land. 

We were the only human beings on the battle- 
field at this quiet hour in the afternoon. It was 
one of the most impressive moments ot my life. 
I tried to picture the scene of this awful struggle; 
I tried to think of the din of battle — the whole 
effect of my imaginings, however, doubtless 
were but feeble in comparison with the awful 
reality. 

The ground was thickly strewn with unex- 
ploded hand grenades and shells. It was 
necessary to exercise the greatest caution in 
walking about this battlefield, as there was 
great danger of stepping on these unexploded 
missiles of destruction, which, while lying dor- 
mant, were apt, with the slightest concussion, 
to let go, with terrible consequences. We had 
fortunately been warned of the danger and I had 
constantly in mind the terrible accident that 
befell a Red Cross friend of mine, who, after 
serving over a year and facing many dangers, 
paid a final visit to the battle area before his 
sailing date and wishing to take home a souvenir 
from one of the battle fronts, picked up an 
unexploded hand grenade and in so doing, the 
hand grenade was sufficiently jarred to explode 
it and my friend lost his right hand. 

We spent nearly an hour at Vimy Ridge and 

86 




Ruins in Lens 




Camouflaged Road in Battle Area 




Overseas Sketches 

in this hour, I believe for the first time, I more 
nearly understood the awfulness of this World 
conflict. 

Our next stop was at Lens, which lay a few 
miles distant in the valley beyond Vimy Ridge. 

Lens is the coal mining and manufacturing 
town which was fought over throughout the 
War, with the result that the entire city, I think 
a city of about fifty thousand inhabitants, was 
utterly and entirely destroyed. I cannot find 
words to describe the complete ruin of this town. 
There was not a single second-story left standing. 
Here and there one could see what once was a 
ground floor room, with perhaps a fireplace and 
mantelpiece standing; if an organized attempt 
had been made to wreck and lay waste this 
town, it could not have been done more thor- 
oughly. There remained only the task of hauling 
away the debris. Two main streets, crossing at 
right angles, had been cleared of refuse and 
these were the only avenues of ingress and 
egress to and from the town. On the outskirts 
of the town, were the ruins of the coal mines — 
the only thing standing up any height being the 
shattered coal tipples, where here and there 
twisted broken structural material still stood — 
beams and channels, apparently almost ready 
to fall, hanging by a few bolts or by a shred of 

88 



Overseas Sketches 

steel, where the shell or other missile had not 
quite severed the structural steel. 

The mills and factories were in complete ruin; 
here and there one could see the wreck of a 
boiler plant or what was once a nice piece of 
machinery, and I recall seeing two or three 
flywheels, partly shattered, but still standing 
between their housings. 

A few families of refugees had returned and 
were engaged in a pathetic attempt to rehabili- 
tate their former homes. The best they could do 
would be to clean out the old cellars and cover 
over a little corner with pieces of corrugated 
sheet iron or a few stray boards or timbers. It 
was said that these people had such a strong 
affection for their old homes, that rather than 
avail themselves of temporary quarters in 
wooden buildings, erected by the British Army 
Authorities, where they were provided with 
bunks and blankets, they would perhaps sleep 
a few nights in these comparatively comfortable 
and warm buildings and then take the blankets 
that had been given them and hunt up the 
ruins of their former homes. 

We did not attempt to dig up souvenirs from 
the ruins, exercising great care here, as well as 
on the battlefield of Vimy Ridge. Warning 
signs were posted conspicuously all through the 
city of Lens against the dangers lurking in ruins. 



Overseas Sketches 

The impression that this awful scene made 
upon me was such that I soon grew weary of 
looking at these dreadful ruins. At dusk we left 
Lens, passing through the villages of Carvin 
and Seclin. We arrived at Lille at 8:00 o'clock 
in the evening, where we spent the night, hos- 
pitably entertained at the British Officers' Club. 

Lille was not badly damaged by German fire. 
It was seized and occupied by the German 
troops very early in the War and they had been 
there for four years. 

We talked with several of the natives, asking 
them how they had been treated by the German 
authorities and they all shrugged their shoulders 
in the manner characteristic of the French 
people, and while they did not go into details 
as to their treatment, being apparently afraid 
to commit themselves, nevertheless, their feel- 
ings were that of supreme contempt of and utter 
disgust at the Boches. Undoubtedly they had 
been through a great many hardships. That 
the Kaiser intended to hold Lille as a permanent 
German possession is evidenced by the fact 
that during the four years of German occupancy, 
he caused to be erected a national theatre — 
a fine marble building, with suitable German 
inscription on the cornerstone and with the 
Kaiser's own name carved in large letters on the 
cornice of the imposing front of this beautiful 
building. 

90 




Smashed Tank — Ypres 




Ypres Battlefield 




German Prisoners — Ypres 
91 



Overseas Sketches 

While the city of Lille had suffered little 
damage, there was an occasional building par- 
tially destroyed and the city appeared to be in 
an unsanitary condition. The streets were very 
dirty; there was refuse of all kinds and ill- 
smelling garbage piles right on the main streets. 
The city was evidently in need of organized 
civic rule. At the time of our visit, however, it 
was still in the section under British military 
rule. Doubtless, everything possible was being 
done; order was fully preserved, but there was 
much to be desired in the way of making it a 
healthful place to live. 

We could not tell much about the ordinary 
living conditions, because we were fed and 
lodged where officers' accomodations and rations 
were available, but were told that living condi- 
tions there were none too good, as might be 
expected only a few months after the Armistice. 

We left Lille at io:oo o'clock in the morning 
of Wednesday, March 12th, passing rapidly 
through the villages of Madeleine, Bondues and 
Rouq. We drove along the famous Menin Road, 
which led through the ruins of several villages — 
absolutely destroyed, laid waste. At noon we 
came to the celebrated battlefield of Ypres, and 
were now in Belgium. 

As far as the eye could reach, there extended 
a rolling expanse of utter desolation. What had 

92 



Overseas Sketches 

formerly been a beautiful forest, dotted here 
and there by chateaus and estates and clearings, 
where agriculture was practiced and flocks were 
tended, was now an unrecognizable mass of 
shell holes, battle-torn roads, ruined trenches, 
dug-outs, broken down, smashed tanks, air 
planes, twisted and torn barb wire entangle- 
ments, occasional stumps of trees, left from the 
beautiful forest, unexploded ammunition, broken 
guns, gas masks — in fact, all the paraphernalia 
of modern warfare, wrecked, broken, abandoned, 
strewn about in the greatest confusion. 

We had the good fortune to meet a British 
Army Ofiicer, a Major, who had been through 
the struggles back and forth over this battle- 
field. He had a map and was tracing the 
operations of his own battalion and very kindly 
told us something about that immediate part of 
the battlefield, on which we were standing at 
that moment. He said, ''Gentleman, you will 
believe this with difiiculty, but right here, near 
where we are standing, was the driveway and 
entrance to a beautiful chateau, with its sur- 
rounding estate. As you see, there is absolutely 
no trace of this now left. If you will come with 
me, I will show you what is left of the ruins of 
the chateau." We walked with him a few hun- 
dred yards, and if he had not directed our atten- 
tion to the mere suggestion of what was once a 

93 



Overseas Sketches 

chateau, we should never have seen it. There 
were a few foundation stones left — the rest of 
the building was all gone. He told us that in 
the grove of trees which formerly stood in front 
of the chateau, he had his look-outs stationed in 
the tree tops, ascertaining and signaling the 
whereabouts of the German guns. Now there 
were practically no trees of this grove left — only 
a stump here and there. In fact, all over this 
battlefield, the ground was so torn that the shell 
holes overlapped and the depressions made in 
the ground by these shell holes were filled with 
water. 

It was difficult to understand how the British 
troops held this place so long in the face of such 
terrific fire and too, considering the fact that 
when they attempted to dig in to find cover, they 
were sure to encounter water within eighteen 
inches or two feet of the surface of the ground. 

The contour of this battlefield is something 
like the shape of a saucer — the Germans having 
the advantage of holding the high ground, 
comparable to what would be the rim of a 
saucer. This gave me a dim idea of the remark- 
able defense of the British troops, although it is 
most difficult to understand how any human 
being could have existed in such a position. 

The only thing about this battlefield that 
had been restored was the main road, which was 

94 




Cathedral and Cloth Hall — Ypres 




Farmhouse, Franco-Belgian Boundary Line 




Brass Shell Heaps Near St. Quentin 
95 



Overseas Sketches 

in very good condition and which at the time 
of our visit was being repaired by German 
prisoners, assisted by French Colonial troops — 
Annamites as they were called, I believe recruited 
from French Indo-China. 

After about two hours amid this scene of 
recent horror, we proceeded to the town of Ypres, 
not far distant from the battlefield and there 
beheld in ruins about as complete destruction 
as we had seen at Lens, the previous afternoon. 
The cathedral and ancient cloth hall were 
practically destroyed. A jagged part of the 
cathedral tower still reared its head courage- 
ously, but the ruin was indescribably awful. 

I talked to an English Chaplain, who told me 
that while the town was under fire, he held 
services in the crypt of this cathedral, which 
were well attended by British "Tommies." 

We then went on through the town of Ypres 
along the famous Paaschendaal Ridge. On 
either side of the road our eyes were met with 
continuous battle panorama. I saw the carcasses 
of many horses, and if we had had time to 
explore the trenches at some distance from the 
road, morbid curiosity might have been re- 
warded by the sight of corpses of the enemy, 
but lack of time did not permit this sort of 
exploration. I had heard a good deal about 
battlefield sightseeing resulting in the discovery 

96 



Overseas Sketches 

of partly decomposed remains of German soldiers 
and in a way I am just as well satisfied that I 
was spared anything more awful than that 
which had already been seen. 

It is enough perhaps merely to mention the 
numerous battlefield cemeteries and the scattered 
roadside graves, some marked "Unknown," 
often with the soldier's steel helmet laid on the 
mound or else hanging on the wooden cross 
which was sometimes decorated with a faded 
wreath. 

Shortly after leaving the Paaschendaal Ridge 
District we stopped at a peasant's house in the 
village of Roulers to see what could be done in 
the way of lunch. One side of the building 
which this Belgian family occupied had been 
partially shot away and the wall had been 
temporarily supported by timbers and the roof 
patched. The peasant, his wife and two child- 
ren were as hospitable as could be expected 
under the circumstances, and furnished us with 
some very dirty looking black bread, some 
extremely mussy looking dried herrings and a 
bottle of sour wine, but we were hungry enough 
to manage a part of this repast and proceeded 
on our way, arriving at Ghent at 3:00 o'clock 
in the afternoon. 

We stopped here two hours to inspect the 
large and important American Red Cross ware- 

97 



Overseas Sketches 

house and then hurried on to Brussels, where 
we spent what was left ot the evening and the 
night of March r2th. We had been told that 
Brussels was a real wide open town, exceeding 
Paris in this respect. A walk through the 
principal streets just before midnight seemed 
to justify this claim for the Belgian capital, and 
a visit to two or three cabarets, filled with 
British and American officers, where entertain- 
ment in the way of dancing by very good looking 
and strikingly gowned girls, and very expensive 
drinks, was afforded, still further substantiated 
the view of those who had told us that Brussels 
was pretty lively. 

We really did not see very much of Brussels, 
as we were obliged to leave early in the morning 
of March i^uh in order to get back to Paris on 
schedule time. 

At the close of the day one of our party 
remarked that we had accomplished something 
on this date that the Kaiser would have liked 
to do in 1 9 14, and that was a motor trip from 
Brussels to Paris in fourteen hours. Our driver 
made that little Ford car fairly fiy over the 
roads, which were mainly quite good. 

During the morning we passed through the 
towns of Hal, Soignees and Mons, where the 
famous retreat from Mons was begun by the 
first British army, which valiantly attempted, 

08 




German Soldier's Grave 





Ruined DwcHiml; — 1 1. mi 



(icrnian PiisuiR-i 



99 



Overseas Sketches 

without proper artillery to back it, to stem the 
tide of the onrushing horde of Huns who had 
poured across Belgium. 

For a time also, we followed the Hindenburg 
Line, after passing through the towns of Bavay, 
Berlaiment, St. Remy, Avesnes, La Capelle, 
Guise, St. Quentin, Ham, Guiscard and Noyon. 
The last four were pretty well shot up. 

Just outside of St. Quentin there were many 
ammunition dumps and one storage yard for a 
great quantity of exploded brass shells. I could 
not begin to estimate the amount of brass that 
had been collected from the surrounding battle- 
fields, but there were a number of immense piles 
of the different sizes, from the smaller one-pound 
shell up to the seventy-five millimeter and 
larger. We stopped to examine these heaps of 
brass shells, and as there were no troops guarding 
this valuable collection, we took the liberty of 
appropriating one or two shells apiece to take 
home as souvenirs, although there was scarcely 
room for them in our already crowded car. 

We did not get out of the car at Ham, but 
slowed up while passing through the Public 
Square in order to get a glimpse of the ruined 
cathedral. The walls and roof were still stand- 
ing, but the windows were all shot out and the 

100 



Overseas Sketches 

interior was filled with broken stones and refuse, 
with the altar and some of the images still 
standing. 

At the village of Guiscard we stopped to buy 
gasoline. We found a soldier working over a 
sorry-looking French truck, which was standing 
in a half-ruined building, then being used 
temporarily as a garage, but were not able to 
purchase any gasoline, as the man asserted 
positively that he had none to spare. He 
noticed, however, that we had an extra supply 
of oil, of which he was in need and after some 
dickering, we made a trade, giving him oil in 
return for gasoline, or essence, as they call it in 
France. We were glad to get the gasoline, as 
without it we might have had to suffer delay 
and possibly might not have reached Paris by 
night, as we had planned to do. 

While our driver was negotiating the trade 
for gasoline, I looked about the village for a few 
minutes and was much interested in a shrine 
at the crossroads. There was a life-sized figure 
of Christ on the Cross, which had been hit a 
great many times by bullets and shell fragments. 
While badly scarred, it was still standing. 

Crossing the street, I explored a ruined 
dwelling, and climbing a rickety staircase to the 
second floor, found that a cat had returned with 
her family of kittens, probably to her old home, 

101 



Overseas Sketches 

although her owners were not about, and the 
house was badly wrecked — the roof a sieve and 
one end of the house entirely shot away. 

At Noyon we found it interesting enough to 
stop for about an hour. The once beautiful 
cathedral was badly smashed, and the ancient 
guildhall adjacent, entirely ruined. The cathe- 
dral was fenced off, so that it was not possible to 
get close enough lor a good view of the interior, 
but it was badly wrecked, seemed but a skeleton 
of its former self. The walls had been braced 
on the outside with timbers, and it appeared as 
if complete restoration would be most difficult. 
More of the inhabitants at Noyon had returned, 
attempting to resume their old life, than in any 
of the ruined towns yet visited. The place was 
under French military rule and there were a 
large number of German prisoners engaged in 
cleaning up the streets, which were filled with 
refuse from ruined buildings as well as with 
unexploded shells and pieces of shrapnel. The 
space in front of the cathedral was fairly carpeted 
with ragged slivers of steel from the shells which 
had hit the cathedral and exploded. 

Towards sundown we reached Compiegne, 
which was not so badly shot up as Noyon. As 
we neared Paris, the ruins became less frightful. 

We rushed by Senlis at dusk, and at io:oo 
o'clock, drove through the outer walls of Paris, 

102 




American Cemetery — Belleau Wood 




A Bit of the Hindenburg Line East of St. Quentin 
103 



Overseas Sketches 

having made a remarkably quick trip, con- 
sidering the fact that we made several stops for 
sight-seeing. The distance including detours 
was about two hundred miles. 



104 



Chapter IX 
Various 

This journal lapsed from March 14th to July 
15th. During the interval, the routine of my 
regular work in the Paris office of the American 
Red Cross continued with occasional items of 
interest, which I shall attempt to recall. 

I have not given space to description of the 
points of interest in Paris, keeping rather to the 
narrative of every-day experiences while there. 
However, shortly after arriving, during the days 
of waiting for definite assignment, I did find 
time to visit the following: 

Notre Dame Cathedral, the interior of which 
was beautifully decorated with flags of the 
Allied Nations — a mass of color; the exterior 
was still protected by timbers and sand bags, and 
the stained glass of the famous Rose Window, 
as well as that of the other windows had been 
removed elsewhere for safety and had been 
replaced by ordinary panes of glass. 

St. Gervais, ruined by the"Big Bertha" shell on 
Good Friday, 191 8, when many worshipers 
were slain. 

The Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), the Louvre, 

105 



Overseas Sketches 

the Garden of the Tuilleries, the Luxemburg 
Gardens and Palace, the Pantheon, the Made- 
leine, Napoleon's Tomb, the Invalides, the 
Eiffel Tower, used as a wireless station and no 
longer open to visitors, which we saw from our 
windows daily, the Bois de Boulogne and other 
familar scenes. 

A favorite diversion during occasionally free 
daylight hours was a walk along the Seine, close 
to either bank of which stream of historic 
memory, much of the sight-seeing of Paris 
could be done. 

The unusual sight of a great many Americans 
in the uniforms of various branches of the 
service, making up a goodly percentage of the 
crowds on the streets, avenues, boulevards, in 
the subway, in theatres, cafes, in fact all over 
Paris, soon ceased to attract more than ordinary 
attention, but if one were to return, their 
absence from the familiar haunts would be 
noticeable. 

In going about Paris, one occasionally saw 
spots where ruin had been wrought by air planes, 
bombs or shells from "Big Bertha" — the wreck- 
age of such places, however, had been cleared 
away and the area fenced in so that the sight 
was no longer horribly obtrusive. 

While stationed in Paris, it was my pleasure 
to meet or receive calls from a number of home 

106 



Overseas Sketches 

town men and women who were in their coun- 
try's service overseas. If I were to attempt to 
list the names of these friends I feel that it 
would be incomplete. I have also omitted 
mention of many friendships formed among 
associates in the work and have likewise failed 
to list a number of cordial acquaintanceships 
among the French people, whom I found always 
hospitable and certainly appreciative of our 
country's assistance in the War. 

After the Armistice, food conditions in France, 
more particularly in Paris, were still regulated 
by the requirement of bread and sugar tickets, 
but gradually these were less urgently demanded 
by markets, stores and restaurants, and by the 
Spring of 1919, formalities of this sort began to 
be ignored. Our own experience in respect to 
food supply was undoubtedly happier than that 
of the average French citizen, for we had access 
both to Army and Red Cross commissary stores; 
coupled with our housekeeper's exceptional 
ability as a buyer in the French markets, this 
made it possible for us to live pretty well. 

A good deal has been said of an ill feeling 
between French and American soldiers in the 
months after the signing of the Armistice, but 
when the facts are sifted, such bad feeling as 
existed usually grew out of personal quarrels 
over shopkeepers' prices or else arose from ill 

107 



Overseas Sketches 

advised arguments as to who won the War. I 
think that by and large, they were grateful and 
so were we and we would go over again if a real 
necessity should arise. 

On March i6th I went to Angers, ten hours 
by rail from Paris, to visit Lt. Wm. McKelvey, 
of Youngstown, who was in Base Hospital No. 
69 very ill with pneumonia. I spent two days 
there and had several satisfactory visits with 
Lt. McKelvey, whose mother was a classmate 
and frienci of my school days. Lt. McKelvey 
later on was able to be removed to the Hospital 
Ship "Mercy," sailing from Bordeaux for home 
late in April, but his strength gave out and he 
passed away in New York soon after landing. 

I had practically no time for sight-seeing at 
Angers, but attended services at the beautiful 
cathedral, which is on a hill in the center of the 
town and commands a fine view of the valley 
of the Maine. 

My nephew. Captain Ford, after a three 
weeks' convalescence leave to Nice, Cannes and 
Monte Carlo, sailed for home on May 28th, on 
the "President Grant" from Brest. 

Memorial Day, May 30th, was observed by 
the American Red Cross, that organization 
granting a full holiday to all workers who were 
not actually needed in relief measures. A 
goodly number of the one thousand Red Cross 

108 




The Flag 




Bridge Over the Maine — The Cathedral — Angers 
109 



Overseas Sketches 

workers in Paris went out to the American 
Cemetery at Suresnes, where President Wilson 
deHvered the Memorial Day address, but I 
chose to spend the day quietly in the Louvre 
Art Galleries. 

The Liquidation Committee of the American 
Red Cross ordered the activities of the Home 
Service Section to close on June loth. I con- 
sidered this a mistake, but we were obliged to 
obey orders, although we felt that we still had a 
big job ahead and could have done good work 
in July and perhaps in August in the Army of 
Occupation and at embarkation ports, but in 
line with the Liquidation Committee's plans for 
a gradual termination of the work, in order to 
have the force well cut down by July ist, our 
work was practically stopped. 

Accordingly, on June ist I voluntarily retired 
as Chief of the Home Service Section, because 
I wished Captain Paul F. Peck, my able assist- 
ant, to have the honor of being Chief of the 
Section, if only for a brief time, having already 
recommended that he be left in charge during 
the months of July and August, before knowing 
that the Liquidation Committee would close 
our work as early as June loth. Later on the 
Liquidation Committee reconsidered its decision 
and the Home Service Section was continued 
with a smaller organization during July and a 

no 



Overseas Sketches 

part of August under Captain Peck's leadership, 
taking excellent care of the soldiers' needs under 
the changing conditions, while the remaining 
American troops in France were being rapidly 
sent home. 



Ill 



Chapter X 
Bourges 

I was all set for a nice vacation and had 
about decided on a trip through the South of 
France, my plans including a stop of perhaps a 
week in the French Alps. But a serious condi- 
tion of the Red Cross work in the Central 
Records Office of the American Expeditionary 
Forces at Bourges, was drawn to my attention. 
It was this: 

The Home Communication Section, which 
was a branch of the Home and Hospital Bureau, 
and in a way, sympathetically allied with the 
work of the Home Service Section just termi- 
nated, had an accumulation in the Red Cross 
work at Central Records Office of the American 
Expeditionary Forces at Bourges, as the head 
of our Bureau thought, of about ten thousand 
inquiries from the families of enlisted men, who 
had been killed, wounded or missing, or else had 
been careless about writing home, and of whom 
their people had lost track. 

This work seemed like an appeal, so, enlisting 
the aid of five volunteers — all American business 

113 



Overseas Sketches 

men, who like myself, were waiting for a sailing 
date home, I went to Bourges and had the satis- 
faction of directing the completion of this work. 
With the splendid co-operation of those who 
accompanied me, and with the earnest and 
efficient labor of those already on the job, we 
soon had the situation smoothed out, anci in 
three weeks cleaned up nearly twenty thousand 
of these inquiries. Shortly after we started 
this work, we found that there were really about 
thirty thousand of these inquiries, instead of the 
ten thousand as at first supposed. 

The Central Records Headquarters were in a 
French barracks on the outskirts of the city. 
There was a force of some five thousand Ameri- 
can soldiers, a large number of whom were at 
work compiling the records of the individuals of 
the American Expeditionary Forces, and here 
also, during the night shift, a large number of 
men were detailed to re-adciress properly soldiers' 
delayed mail, of which a great quantity had 
accumulated. 

The experience at this important army camp 
provided a more intimate acquaintance with 
actual army life than office work in Paris. We 
were accorded the privilege of eating at officers' 
mess and received the most courteous treatment 
at the hands of Colonel Stone, the Commander 

114 




o 



115 



Overseas Sketches 

of the American Forces at Bourges, and Colonel 
Nelly, in charge of the Army Records and Card 
Index Systems. 

By far the most interesting sight in Bourges 
is the cathedral. The present structure, begun 
during the twelfth century, was completed 
during the sixteenth century. Since the destruc- 
tion of the Rheims Cathedral, Bourges shares 
first rank among French cathedrals with Char- 
tres. Bourges cathedral is one of the few 
five-aisled examples of Gothic architecture and 
is famous also for two splendid towers; the later 
one, built in the sixteenth century, called the 
Butter Tower, was built from funds accumulated 
from butter sold by the parishioners for a long 
term of years and donated for building the 
Tower. The stained glass windows of the 
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries are noted 
for their beautiful coloring and design. In the 
crypt there is to be seen a part of the original 
foundation of the first church, built about 
400 A. D. These ancient foundation stones, it 
is said, were originally a part of the walls erected 
by the Romans, who came to Bourges at an 
early ciate. 

I spent as much time as I could spare in this 
beautiful structure, as well as many of my 
evenings in the Archbishop's garden, and another 
beautiful park joining the cathedral grounds 

116 




I 


k( 




1 


i^J 


mm 


3 ..!.;-■ 


^ f^#^s^itii4:,: 


■^m 1 




IPjP 


t V 




., , 



Rue Mirabeau 
Bourges 



House of the Three Flutes 
Bourges 




Courtyard — House of Jaques 
Coeur — Bourges 



117 



Canal and Wash-house 
Bourges 



Overseas Sketches 

with the residence of the Archbishop and the 
Town Hall. In this park there took place a 
Rose Festival, beginning early one Sunday 
morning and lasting throughout the day, with 
an interesting program of French folk dances, 
choral singing and other simple entertainments, 
all highly interesting and a pleasing insight into 
French life. 

There are two very interesting buildings in 
Bourges dating back to mediaeval times — ^the 
house of Jacques Coeur, Chancellor under 
Charles VIII and the Hotel L'Allemant, both 
excellent and well preserved types of mediaeval 
homes. 

The original part of Bourges is made up of 
ancient buildings and narrow, crooked streets. 
A small sluggish stream, called the Yevre, 
affords the city a none too adequate supply of 
rather dirty water. Along the banks of this 
stream are erected wash houses with wooden 
platforms close to the water's edge, where the 
women of Bourges do their washing. It was 
said that Americans frequently contracted the 
itch from having their laundry done by Bourges 
laundresses, on account of hlth in the water of 
this sluggish stream. I think that this was a 
story manufactured by one of our doughboy 

lis 





119 



Overseas Sketches 

wits. At all events, I escaped the distinction 
and braved the terrors of washday in Bourges 
with impunity. 

One of the interesting features in the daily 
life of Bourges was the herd of goats that was 
driven into town morning and evening, going 
through the principal streets, affording the 
citizens the opportunity of securing their daily 
supply of milk. This survival of mediaeval milk 
delivery was an interesting sight. The approach 
of the herd was heralded by a plaintive melody 
of about a half dozen notes blown on a peculiar 
looking instrument by the goatherd, the sound 
very much resembling a piccolo or ocarina. 
This was quite shrill and could be heard at some 
distance. I used it for my alarm clock, as about 
7:00 each morning the herd usually passed by 
our hotel. Housewives who wished to avail 
themselves of this milk supply would send out 
one of the members of the household with a 
bowl or pitcher and with the payment for the 
milk, sometimes money and sometimes in the 
shape of scraps of bread or other food for the 
goats. The goatherd would then halt the line 
of march and proceed to milk one of the goats. 

During my stay at Bourges I embraced the 
opportunity of motoring to Orleans, for a 
Sunday in the city made famous by the Heroine 
of France. Joan of Arc's bronze equestrian 

120 



Overseas Sketches 

statue on the Public Square is impressive. In 
the cathedral is a beautiful white marble statue 
of the Maid just behind the altar with a back- 
ground of crimson curtains — a striking effect. 
There is also a museum close by filled with 
relics pertaining to her life and times — very- 
interesting. The cathedral at Orleans while 
very beautiful, does not quite measure up to 
that of Bourges. 

As the train passed through the railroad 
yards of the towns on the route, both to and 
from Bourges, there were to be seen a great 
many German freight cars and a correspond- 
ingly large number of German passenger cars. 
These had been turned over to the French after 
the Armistice, doubtless to replace the equip- 
ment seized from the French early in the war. 

My own sailing date being near at hand, I 
left a trusted friend, Captain Davidson, in 
charge of the twenty-five personnel doing the 
work at Bourges, and on June 28th, returned to 
Paris, where for a few days I was engaged in 
writing a historical outline of the work of the 
Home Service Section in France. During these 
few days I also went through the tedious process 
of red tape required by the Department of 
Personnel of all those who were being released 
for return home. 

On July 4th Americans in Paris were privi- 

121 



Overseas Sketches 

leged to see a regiment of American soldiers, 
selected from one of the crack divisions of the 
Army of Occupation, execute drill manoevres 
on the Place de La Concorde, which were 
immeasurably better done than the drilling of 
the French troops, also present. 

In the evening, sitting on our balcony, over- 
looking the Champs de Mars and Eiffel Tower, 
we could see about five miles distant, the Ameri- 
can fireworks on display at Pershing Stadium. 



122 



Chapter XI 
Chateau Thierry, Verdun, Rheims 

On Saturday, July 5th, in company with 
Captain John P. Rusk and Lt. C. T. M. Law, 
associates in Home Service work, we started on 
a two days' motor trip, having been granted 
permission by the authorities to see something 
of the American battle front before we sailed 
for home. 

Starting at 9:00 o'clock in the morning, we 
reached Chateau Thierry at noon and visited 
some of the places made famous by America's 
participation in the War. We could not devote 
as much time to Chateau Thierry as we wished, 
and were soon on our way to Verdun, which we 
reached late in the afternoon. Part of the 
route taken was by way of the Valley of the 
Marne. 

Between Chateau Thierry and Verdun we 
had occasion to stop to secure gasoline at a 
French army station, where gasoline tickets, 
issued by the American authorities, were hon- 
ored. Here a Second Lieutenant and a Sergeant 

123 



Overseas Sketches 

were in charge of about fifteen French soldiers 
and it seems they were celebrating something 
or other, I am not just sure what, but at all 
events, they were having a good time and would 
not let us go until we stood up and sang "Yankee 
Doodle" for them, which they encored several 
times, supplying us with bottles of excellent 
wine between encores. Before this party broke 
up some one on our side had to make a speech 
of thanks to these enthusiastic Frenchmen, and 
I was selected as our spokesman; the less said 
about my speech in the French language, the 
better. 

We spent about two hours wandering in the 
trenches outside Verdun, and here again as at 
Vimy Ridge, we were as far as we could see, the 
only human beings on the battlefield. As it was 
now eight months since the Armistice was 
signed there were practically no relics of value 
left on the battlefield. There were a great 
number of unexploded shells and other ammuni- 
tion, but these were too dangerous to touch. 
There were a great many empty machine gun 
shells, and here and there, a few weather-beaten, 
half-rotted gas masks. But sight-seers and 
salvage workers had already cleaned up every- 
thing of real value, although I did find a small 
German trench spade. However, the trenches 
themselves, zig-zagging across the battlefields, 

124 




Trenches Viewed from the Air 




Verdun's Famous Gate — "They Shall Not Pass" 
125 



Overseas Sketches 

and the many dug-outs and everywhere shell 
holes and the various evidences of the struggle, 
were of enough interest to make our trip many 
times worth while. 

Most interesting of all was Dead Man's Hill, 
where one hundred thousand lives were lost in 
the defense of Verdun. From the contour of the 
surrounding country, it was easily understood 
why it was impossible for the Germans to 
capture this stronghold. 

Verdun is protected by rolling hills and is 
inaccessible to invasion except through several 
ravines, which could be guarded, and the only 
other way of approach was by storming these 
hills, which was practically impossible against 
the defense offered by modern engines of war. 
Turning back to the town itself, we entered 
through the famous gate in the wall which 
surrounded the town. This was the gate made 
famous during the War by the song entitled, 
"They Shall Not Pass." The town itself was 
pretty badly ruined but not destroyed. I 
noticed particularly that the walls encircling 
the town had seldom been struck, from which 
it would appear that the Germans had con- 
centrated their artillery fire on the buildings 
inside the walls. Probably two-thirds of the 
buildings in Verdun had been hit, some few 
entirely destroyed. We found a restaurant in a 

126 



Overseas Sketches 

building that had not been hit at all, where we 
were furnished a pretty good meal, if one was 
not too persnickety and overlooked the evi- 
dences of filth on the street, on the sidewalk, in 
the yard, in fact, everywhere. 

We proceeded, however, on the theory of 
"What you don't know won't hurt you" and 
thought also of the old adage, ''Hunger makes 
the best sauce." 

Not wishing to stay over night at Verdun, we 
drove a couple of hours to a small town called 
St. Mennehoude. This town had not been 
under fire at all and here we were comfortably 
lodged at the principal hotel and were just 
congratulating ourselves on such good fortune, 
when an American Colonel stepped up to us 
and said, "Who is the leader of this group?" 
I acknowledged this somewhat doubtful honor, 
when the Colonel said fiercely, "What are you 
doing here? Do you realize that this is out of 
bounds and that no one connected in any way 
with the American Expeditionary Forces is per- 
mitted to be here without proper authority? 
Let me see your papers." 

I began to feel scared, but thought the best 
way out of it was to tell the absolute truth and 
nothing but the truth, so I informed the Colonel 
that the only papers we had were instructions 
which the American Expeditionary Forces had 

127 



Overseas Sketches 

issued to our driver, who was an enlisted man 
in the service of the American Red Cross, and 
that we had been told that our trip to Chateau 
Thierry and Verdun, scheduled to return to 
Paris by way of Rheims, was permissible and 
that passes and other authorization were no 
longer required by the army. 

The Colonel dici not like this very well and 
told us bluntly that we would have to move on, 
or submit to arrest and probable trial by Court 
Martial. After the use of a little diplomacy and 
the art of gentle persuasion and by reason of the 
fact that we did not try to lie out of our predica- 
ment, the Colonel finally softened, and on our 
promise to leave St. Mennehoude by 7:00 
o'clock the next morning, he graciously permitted 
us to spend the night there. 

Later on the Colonel turned out to be a real 
pleasant sort of a fellow and told me of the many 
escapades that Young America had pulled off 
and said that for this reason he had to be strict; 
that he was stationed in St. Mennehoude for the 
very purpose of apprehending several lieuten- 
ants who were out without authority. 

The next morning, Sunday, July 6th, we kept 
our word and got away early, before the Colonel 
had a chance to change his mind, and had a 
most interesting drive to Rheims. We were now 
in the Champagne Country, which was the 

128 



Overseas Sketches 

scene of hard fighting throughout the War. The 
roads were not nearly so good. We were lost 
once. We came to a place where the road was 
no longer passable. I had heard the term, 
"shell-torn roads" and now fully realized what 
this meant. 

We had to retrace for a good many miles and 
drove a long detour before we got on another 
road to Rheims. We were all glad, however, to 
have the experience, as the place where we were 
lost was indeed interesting. We got out of the 
machine and spent hours wandering through 
the trenches and dug-outs. It was remarkable 
how close up the trenches were, as here, we 
would see what had been the German trenches 
and perhaps two or three hundred yards oppo- 
site, often nearer, would be the French trenches. 
The whole battlefield was a maze of trenches 
and if we had not continuously shouted to one 
another, we could easily have been hopelessly 
lost. 

The dug-outs were very interesting — here 
were beds, bunks in the walls, pieces of rude 
furniture still left, but again as at Verdun, there 
was very little left in the way of valuable relics. 
There were a good many ammunition dumps 
that were placed at intervals, where unexploded 
shells, cartridges, hand grenades and other 
missiles had been gathered together, otten 

129 



Overseas Sketches 

fenced in with barb wire and always with 
danger signs, warning not to handle or touch. 
At one place I saw a ribbon of unexploded 
machine gun shells, which I estimated to be 
sixteen feet long. 

During the morning's drive, we overtook a 
lone figure trudging along the road, a woman 
in deep mourning, who proved to be the widow 
of a French soldier. She was going about in 
search of her husband's grave. She carried a 
basket containing a wreath and a small head- 
stone with a suitable inscription, to be erected 
as soon as she found the grave. She had a 
certificate from the French Army Authorities, 
giving the location and description of the 
cemetery and the number of the grave and 
appealed to us for assistance, explaining that 
she had become separated that morning from 
her brother, who was helping her in her quest; 
she believed that he was farther up the road. 
We made room for her as well as the heavy 
basket, and in a short time overtook her brother, 
whereupon she left our car with thanks that I 
am sure were heartfelt. 

They had been out searching for days and 
had already visited many battlefield cemeteries 
without success. I have often speculated as to 
whether this faithful widow's search was ever 
rewarded. 

130 




cc; 



131 



Overseas Sketches 

After spending the entire morning in this 
most interesting way, we reached Rheims at 
about 2:oo o'clock. 

Just outside of Rheims the trenches were 
badly torn and evidences of the fierce encounter 
were on every side. Here the scene was a little 
more lively, as the French authorities had 
begun to operate excursions from Paris to 
Rheims, and there were perhaps a thousand or 
more sight-seers wandering around the trenches 
and more particularly inspecting the ruins of 
the great fortress, which bore the brunt of the 
German attack throughout the War. 

At a distance from the city the cathedral 
appeared to be intact, but upon closer inspec- 
tion the havoc wrought by German guns was 
apparent. The roof and sides were pierced in 
many places. It was said that early in the War 
the more important stained glass windows were 
taken out and removed elsewhere for safety. 
The interior of the building was piled high with 
refuse and the exterior was badly scarred, 
especially the rear of the building. The Bishop's 
palace next door was entirely ruined. The city 
itself was badly shot up, scarcely a building 
that was not hit — many of them utterly de- 
stroyed. 

The city v/as crowded with sight-seers, but 




Cathedral Apse — Rheims 



133 



Overseas Sketches 

we succeeded in finding places at a restaurant 
within a stone's throw of the cathedral. 

Late in the afternoon we started for Paris 
and made the trip in three hours. 

The thorough organization of equipment 
behind the lines tor bringing up men, ammuni- 
tion and supplies, is worthy of comment. 

There were narrow gauge railroad tracks 
with locomotives and equipment still there, just 
as they had been used; there were thousands of 
trucks along the roadways, just where they had 
been abandoned when the Armistice was signed; 
there were first-aid stations and field hospitals, 
army kitchens and everything that was needed 
in order to supply the army in the front battle 
line and to care for the wounded. 

All this ruin and havoc cannot possibly be 
cleaned up and rebuilt for years to come, con- 
sequently, those who are not able to get over to 
see the battlefields right away, need have no 
fear — there will be something left to see for a 
good while yet. 



i:!4 



Chapter XII 
Going Home 

On Monday, July 7th, at exactly noon, I left 
Paris for London, crossing the English Channel, 
via Bologne and Folkstone. I was fortunate in 
having with me as traveling companion. Cap- 
tain H. O. Barnes, A. R. C, of the Department 
of Personnel. We had about forty-eight hours 
in London, pretty well taken up with Army and 
Red Cross registration and other similar require- 
ments by the authorities. There was conse- 
quently not much chance for sight-seeing in 
London. 

On July 9th we entrained at Paddington 
Station for Falmouth, where we were scheduled 
to meet the Steamer Rotterdam, of the Holland- 
America Line, sailing on July loth. 

The ship was detained in dry-dock at Souths 
ampton and did not get away until Saturday 
evening, July 12th. While we were somewhat 
impatient at the delay, we spent, nevertheless, 
two pleasant and restful days at Falmouth — 

135 



Overseas Sketches 

a beautiful harbor on the coast of Cornwall, a 
short distance from Cape Land's End. 

Falmouth is a very interesting old Cornish 
seaport. It is a summer resort, and is called in 
the English advertisements, the "Riviera of the 
North," but I am inclined to think that some 
optimist chose this descriptive name. 

Penzance, a town westernmost in the county, 
brought to mind Gilbert & Sullivan's Opera, 
"The Pirates of Penzance," which I recalled 
was a favorite of my father's years ago. 

Retracing our steps for a moment, I must say 
that the train ride across England, in particular 
through Devonshire, was most interesting — the 
country was beautiful, the fields and farms well 
kept and the hills were lovely in their different 
colors of varied vegetation and trees. 

Plymouth, through which we passed, is a 
larger and more prosperous looking port than 
Falmouth, and at Plymouth we saw, from the 
car windows, literally hundreds of British war 
vessels lying along the river banks, representing 
what must have been an important part of the 
Great British Fleet, which did its share in 
blockading Germany and keeping the Enemy's 
fleet bottled up. 

On July nth we took a carriage drive in and 
about Falmouth and over the surrounding hills. 

136 



Overseas Sketches 

It seemed restful and an agreeable change to go 
back twenty years and have this pleasant drive 
behind horses, as of the days before the auto- 
mobile. 

We also took several interesting walks through 
the old town, whose streets are narrow and 
crooked, and whose ancient buildings reminded 
me somewhat of the architecture of Bourges. 

On rising, July 12th, our eyes beheld a most 
welcome sight. From our window we saw the 
Rotterdam, which had slipped into the harbor 
during the night. This ship rode a stately 
picture, towering above all else in the harbor. 

At 9:00 o'clock we reported at the pier and 
had the rather doubtful pleasure of standing for 
over two hours, closely packed in a bull pen, 
awaiting our turn for another passport visa, 
this time by the British authorities. 

Here I was pleased to meet a home friend, 
Mr. L. C. Haworth, and to learn that he also 
was to sail on the Rotterdam, after having com- 
pleted some special work in France for the 
Y. M. C. A. 

It was not until noon that we were released 
and by i :oo o'clock we were taken out on a 
small steamer and were soon settled in our 
stateroom on the Rotterdam. Late comers 
from the last London train came on board in 

137 



Overseas Sketches 

time to permit our ship to leave Falmouth at 
8:00 o'clock in the evening. It was still broad 
sunlight. The harbor, the town, the surround- 
ing hills and the sea, presented a lovely picture — 
I believe I shall always remember it. 

Sunday morning, July 13 th, we were at 
anchor just outside the breakwater at Brest, 
where we were scheduled to stop to take on 
coal, supplies, officers, about two thousand 
troops from the 5th Division and a good many 
women — some Y. M. C. A. workers and some 
army nurses. A blind man with reasonably 
good hearing would have known it, but these 
girls were having a great time, were on their 
way home after many hardships, and why 
should we have cared if they did chatter inces- 
santly? 

The colored stevedores were very slow hand- 
ling the coal. It was shoveled into baskets and 
handed along into the ship from the lighters by 
these American soldiers, who had been assigned 
the unpleasant duty of coaling the ship which 
was to carry others home ahead of them. We 
could see that they were not too well pleased 
with their task. They took a great many spells 
and during these spells amused themselves with 
their national game — African Golf. 

On Monday morning, July 14th, we woke to 
find our ship still at anchor in the harbor at 

138 



Overseas Sketches 

Brest. This is France's big "Fourth of July." 
Just as I came on deck at 8:00 o'clock, the 
French war ships stationed in the harbor broke 
out their colors and fired a tremendous salute — 
most impressive. The American vessels all ran 
up their colors but fired no guns. The Rotter- 
dam, a Dutch ship, apparently did not recognize 
the day at all, having only the Dutch flag flying. 

During the night somewhat better progress 
had been made by our colored friends on the 
coal piles alongside the ship. At noon they 
were nearly finished, and at i rjo in the after- 
noon on July 14th, we weighed anchor and at 
last, were Homeward Bound! 

There were over four thousand people on 
board, oi whom about two thousand were 
enlisted men, the largest unit being the 21st 
Field Artillery. There were also a good many 
casual companies, the whole force including 
about two hundred officers, said to be the largest 
passenger list ever carried by this ship. In the 
first cabin list were two hundred Y. M. C. A. 
women workers, more than one hundred army 
nurses, a few Red Cross workers, the majority of 
them women, about a dozen K. of C. men and 
a tolerable sprinkling of civilians. 

During the afternoons and evenings the band 
of the 2 1 St Field Artillery discoursed very good 
music and the dancers enjoyed themselves on 

139 



Overseas Sketches 



the smooth decks, as the weather was not rough 
and the ship steady. 

The voyage was uneventfully pleasant. Every 
day a few ships were sighted and passed. 

On Sunday, July 20th, there was an open air 
church service. A Y. M. C. A. quartette sang 
several numbers and an Army Chaplain preached 
a short sermon with a punch in it. His text was: 
"Don't forget France; don't forget America; 
don't forget God." 

As we passed beyond mid-ocean, it began to 
appear as if we might dock some time in the 
afternoon of Tuesday, July 22nd, which after- 
wards proved to be a close prognostication, as 
we began debarkation at Hoboken at a quarter 
to five in the afternoon mentioned. 

Following are the days' runs of the ship: 





Knots 


Total 


y's Run, Noon, July 15th 


389 




" i6th 


397 


786 


" 17th 


380 


I 166 


" i8th 


373 


1539 


" 19th 


379 


I918 


" 20th 


364 


2282 


" 2lSt 


378 


2660 


" 22nd 


380 


3040 



On the pier, ready to receive me, were all the 
members of my family, except my mother. 

140 



Overseas Sketches 

I nearly got into trouble by running past the 
sentries, in order to meet my daughter, who had 
started forward a few steps and was the first to 
greet me. I showed the sentry a cancelled pass- 
port, which I had kept only as a memento, and 
which had almost no value, but it seemed to 
satisfy him. 

On the morning of July 23rd, after going 
through the usual requirements, I was released 
from the service of the American Red Cross, 
after which we all proceeded to Squirrel Island, 
Maine, where I was greeted at the pier by the 
only remaining member of my family, whom I 
had not yet seen — my mother. 

A few minutes after arriving at Squirrel 
Island I was out of uniform and in civilian garb, 
and once more knew the comforts of lay-down 
coat collars and loose trousers. 




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